


Prince(ss) of the Underworld

by riichann



Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Cerberus!Youngbae, Charon!Daesung, Dionysus!T.O.P, Hades!Seungri, Jiyong is a plants nerd, M/M, Persephone!Jiyong, everyone on YG is a greek god on this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 18:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7184660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riichann/pseuds/riichann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The King of the Underworld needs a new bride to maintain his position intact, and Kwon Jiyong seems to be the right person to fulfill the spot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: How to find white among red

Kwon Jiyong entered the greenhouse being followed by the cleaning lady. Actually, he wanted to go there alone; the greenhouse always had been his small sanctuary. But the old woman kept talking about the wedding.  Of course, it was a day before the engagement party, but Jiyong just wished to have a minute-scratch that, a _second_ \- without having to hear anything related to it.

He walked admiring his beloved plants, but didn’t stop until he reached the big rose bush, the beautiful red flowers blossoming under the warm morning sun. The old woman kept talking behind him, but he couldn't care less. He took the scissor and started his search, looking for the prettiest rose he could get. After all, it would be his boutonniere and he wanted his suit and appearance to be perfect as always.

He couldn’t pick just one. On his eyes, every rose, every flower of his greenhouse was flawless, and he still couldn’t understand why Kiko was reluctant to the idea of him picking a bouquet of his own garden for the wedding. She wanted to hire a florist and they argued about that fact every time they met.

The voice of the housekeeper suddenly faded when he spotted something weird among the leaves of the rose bush. He reached a star-shaped white flower. _How come that thing can grow into a red roses bush? A different colour of rose could happen, but a different kind of flower…_

His hands cut the small flower and he silently stared at  the weird miracle in awe.

_Narcissus Poeticus._

Jiyong took the flower to his nose and smelled it, still marveled.

The last thing he could hear was the old maid screaming his name before everything turned black, the narcissus flower still glowering behind his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is my first attempt to write a chaptered Nyongtory fic. I won't promise regular updates because college is a bitch and my inspiration too. Also, this story is dedicated entirely to my friend Neri, who said that Jiyong resembled Persephone when he wore a flower crown on a concert and I couldn't let that idea go because I'm a sucker for greek mythology. 
> 
> I don't know if this is going to contain smut but if it does I will change the rate. (Also I love bottom Ji so if it happens you are warned) Anyway I really hope you like it, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. 
> 
> P.S. Sorry if you find mistakes, I will try to check for typos before I upload anything but english is not my first language. 
> 
> P.S. 2: This will be also posted in AsianFanfics under the same title.


	2. Act One: Endless path of unanswered questions

Sometimes Jiyong regretted his marriage proposal. Not because he didn't want to marry Kiko-she is the girl of his dreams-but he didn't like the way her face faltered on that moment.

It was his fault. He should have been more romantic, more considered towards his girlfriend's sophisticated desires. But the words had spilled from his mouth, looking at her back in the greenhouse, kneeling down to check a pot of yellow roses. She looked so pretty under de sunlight, always perfect like a little porcelain doll.

“Marry me, Kiko.”

She lifted her gaze, seemingly confused by the statement. And Jiyong was confused as well, his anxiety rising as the realization of his words.

“Are you serious?” Kiko asked, still in her knees. Damn, it looked like she was the one proposing, due to their positions. Jiyong cursed himself. He had ruined everything, but he couldn’t back down now.

“Yes.”

Kiko turned to the roses, her gaze travelling around and picked one by the stem. Jiyong felt his heart miss a beat when she cut the flower without hesitation.

“Okay” she said, speaking at the same time the flower separated from the pot. Jiyong opened his mouth and gaped, not even knowing if he was more surprised by the fact she had accepted his proposal or because she dared to cut one of his babies.

“Really?” he managed to ask, finally letting her answer sink.

“Really” she said getting up, her voice calm as always. “What, you don’t believe me?”

“You just said okay. I thought you would be more excited in a moment like this.”

“And I thought you would propose differently. For a starter, I thought you would at least give me a ring. But I guess nothing goes as we imagine it, right?”

Kiko’s words resonated inside Jiyong for a long time. If she wouldn’t have smiled at him after that sentence, he would have doubted she was happy. But her smile was blinding and her eyes glowing. She pulled his neck down for a kiss and everything.

  _Nothing goes as we imagine it._

Jiyong wasn’t sure if he had said those words at loud or inside his mind. Looking around, he didn’t know where he was, his last memory being the pretty white flower glowing in the darkness and the voice of the cleaning lady calling his name as background sound.

However, everything was dark now. He wondered if he was floating or just standing in nothing.

_Am I dead?_

Right when that thought hit his head he saw a small ray of yellow light ahead. Carefully, he took a step, testing the floor behind his feet. Contrary to his belief, he didn't fall nor floated. Breathing again, he started following the light, which seemed to drift away with every step that he took.

Suddenly, the path extended and he realized he was looking at a beach. A river extended before his eyes, but he couldn’t hear the sound of water flowing. Jiyong stopped his tracks, catching a shadow under the dimming light. And then he saw another shadow, and another, until he realized the shore was full of smoky shadows traveling from one side to another.

“Don’t worry; they are just lost souls waiting to enter. They won’t harm you” a voice informed, making him jump in surprise. Searching his surroundings, he spotted a wooden quay with a single boat that reminded him of Venice pictures. A ferryman was standing next to it on the shore, holding his pole and looking at him with curiosity.

“Why do they have to wait?” Jiyong asked, looking at the shadows that the ferryman claimed to be souls. If Jiyong wouldn’t know better, he could have confused them with fog.

“They didn’t have coins to pay the journey” the ferryman said, pointing at the boat with his chin. “However, you can ride on my boat for free this time, Kwon Jiyong.”

Jiyong froze in his place, realizing he was walking toward the other man. He opened his mouth to talk but he didn’t know where to start, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to have answers. Panic started growing on his throat, unsure of what his next action should be. Nevertheless, the ferryman seemed amused by his presence, a smirk growing on his face.

“I will be going” the man informed him, jumping into the boat. “You can come if you want, or you can stay on this shore forever. It’s your choice, flower boy.”

Jiyong raised an eyebrow at the nickname, while the other started untying the ropes that kept the boat in the quay. He looked around; evaluating his possibilities, but all he could see was fog blurring the horizon, the black river floating to nowhere and the lonely beach. He considered going back to the tunnel he came from, but when he turned his head he found out it has faded, the grey clouds of fog melting with the sand on the beach. Without second thoughts, he ran to the quay and stepped on the boat a second before it sailed.

Silence dominated the first minutes of the journey. The stream didn’t make any noise under the push of the oar, there was no wind and the river seemed to be eternally wide. The fog was white around them; he couldn’t see the sky and nothing reflected in the dark water.

Jiyong spared a glance over the ferryman. The man looked about his age, his hair was brown and he had a big crooked nose. He was wearing a red shirt, his sleeves rolled up to show his muscular arms, and a pair of old jeans and trainers, but something in his aura wasn’t normal.

When Jiyong was about to ask the ferryman where they were going a melody pierced the silence.

“Why are you whistling the wedding march?” the orange-haired man asked, frowning at the ferryman. The other turned at him, still whistling, and Jiyong gulped. Under the messy brown bangs, his eyes emitted a flick of red light, his irises brightening as flames. He stopped the song, smirking at his passenger.

“I just felt like it. I don’t like silent trips, and honestly I thought you were the talking type. Aren’t you curious, flower boy?”

Jiyong snorted at the nickname, but decided to let it pass. After seeing that glow on the ferryman eyes, he was convinced the other wasn’t human, and he was smart enough to not piss someone he just met and was in possession of a very solid wooden oar.

“What’s your name?” Jiyong asked, biting his lip to stop himself from shooting all the questions he had on his head.

“I like to go by Daesung” the man said, sending a flashing smile on his direction. Jiyong decided not to explore a lot about the ferryman’s identity.

“Where are we going?”

“To the other side of the river, of course.”

“What’s on the other side?”

“What you are looking for” Daesung said, smirking mischievously before resuming his whistling. Jiyong had no idea what the ferryman meant with that cryptic answer, so he left his eyes wander over the river. He leaned on the edge of the boat, resting his chin over his crossed arms, seduced by the movement of the stream under.

Mixed with Daesung’s whistle, the orange-haired guy caught another sound, something that wasn’t there before. It was like a voice was whispering far away, as if he could hear the radio of a passing car on a street or the small murmur of people praying in a temple. And then it started to grow, quiet sounds evolving into words. Words of pain, of sorrow and regrets seemed to come out of the stream, as if every voice was crying, telling him their sins and mistakes.

“Don’t!” Daesung warned him, stopping his hand from touching the murky waters with the end of his oar. Jiyong snatched his arm away, the spell broken and replaced with fear.

“D-did you hear it? The voices…”Jiyong stopped his sentence, realizing he sounded like a crazy person. Not that his current situation was too logical anyway.

“ _There they lift up their voices and call upon the victims whom they have slain or wronged, to have pity on them, and to receive them, and to let them come out of the river into the lake_ ” Daesung recited, earning a curious look from Jiyong. “Plato said it. The souls of those who committed crimes float on the waters of the Acheron, the river of pain.”

Jiyong glanced at the stream once again, and there he could hear them, asking him for forgiveness. A chill ran on his back, making him hold the border of the tiny ship until his knuckles were white. Surprisingly, Daesung stopped rowing and touched his shoulder. His hand was warm and reassuring, as if the fire in his eyes were traveling through his palm, soothing his worries away.

“Daesung” Jiyong called after what seemed to be an eternity. “Am I dead, right?”

The sailor, who started navigating once again, sent him an apologetic look.

“No. Not yet. That’s why you didn’t have to pay.”

“Then, am I dreaming?” Jiyong inquired, but was distracted by the ship suddenly stopping. They had finally arrived on the other shore. Daesung pulled some ropes to tie the boat in the quay.

“I don’t think you are dreaming. I’m very real, if that’s what you are asking.”

“Where are we?”

Daesung extended his hand to help him descend from the ship. Jiyong was thankful for it; his legs were wobbly from the journey and the confusion in his mind. The beach was the same as the other side: just white fog and dark mud.

“Just walk in straight line from here. Don’t worry, you will find help ahead” Daesung pointed to the front, but Jiyong couldn’t see anything through the thick smoke.

 “Won’t you come with me?” he questioned as Daesung climbed aboard the boat.

“Do I look like your babysitter, flower boy?” Jiyong frowned at the sassy remark, but the other kept on talking. “I have many souls to carry. Besides, you must consider yourself lucky, I don’t tend to make one-passenger rides.”

“Am I a VIP client, then?”

“You could say so” Daesung answered, a smug plastered on his face. He begun to get away from the quay, and made a gesture with his hand, commanding Jiyong to follow the direction he previously indicated. “Don’t forget to praise my services with the Master! Good luck, flower boy!”

Jiyong was about to ask the ferryman who his master was when the boat disappeared in the fog. He sighed and started walking on the direction the sailor had suggested. In less than twenty steps he realized he couldn’t see the river anymore, but there was nothing else to do than to keep on walking.

His mind was beginning to doubt everything about the current situation, the nervousness rising up on his throat once again. _What if Daesung lied to me? What if I’m dead?_ Lost on his thoughts, he did not realize that the fog was slowly dissolving around him; not until the landscape was completely clear and he screamed in pure horror.

Jiyong loved dogs. He even had one during his college days, a puppy named Gaho that died months after he met Kiko. Jiyong loved dogs, but the one looking at him with his three heads and his subsequent three pair of eyes wasn't the kind of breed he would've accepted to get into his house.

He wanted to go back, call Daesung, and give him a lecture about what ‘help’ really meant. But he didn’t dare to move or even breathe at the rate his fastened heart needed. Jiyong forced his brain to think what to do. The only three-headed dog he had seen in his life was the monster in _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ , and he didn't have a harp to charm the animal to sleep. Not that he knew how to play harp either. 

He was trying to remember every episode of _Dog Whisperer_ when the beast stretched and stood on its four, which made it look like a two-floors building. Jiyong spotted the dog's collar, where its silver plate was hanging.

"Bae" he said quietly. But having six ears should be helpful because the dog tilted his three heads to a side, signaling he heard the man. If Jiyong wouldn't have been so frightened, the image could have been strangely adorable.

The dog got his heads down and smelled Jiyong, who was trying to keep still, holding his breath. However, the canine seemed satisfied because he started moving his snake tail and then, with a flash of light that forced him to look away, vanished in the air.

"Please follow me" said a low voice, and Jiyong opened his eyes, surprised to find a man in front of him. It was a short but muscular guy dressed in a hoodie and gym pants. His brown hair was parted in the middle, framing his face.

"Who...who are you?" Jiyong asked, still inspecting the boy. 

"Dude, you just called my name like five seconds ago. Now let's go."

"Bae? Are you that…that giant dog?"

"The one and only, man. Actually it’s Youngbae, well, most of the time."

Youngbae turned and started walking to the wall behind him, but Jiyong remained silent in place. This guy was cryptic too, and he has had enough riddles for a single day.

"I'm not going anywhere. How come you won't like, eat me or something? You are a monster."

Youngbae rolled his eyes at him and Jiyong felt he wasn't a patient man-or dog. Maybe he should had follow him and embrace the fact he would die sooner or later. He wasn’t even sure if he was dead already anyway.

"Do I look hungry or something? For the Gods, even thought I can't get Doritos here my Master always gives me the best food. Besides, I wouldn't eat you. You are too skinny. Your arms are like sticks and you don't even have pecs."

"I'm not that bad!" Jiyong complained, not even knowing why he should defend his right to be eaten alive by a shape shifter muscular dog or whatever Bae was.

"Real men do chest exercises. Who would like that tiny body?"

"I'm a real man! And I have a girlfriend!"

Youngbae's jaw clinched at this, but then he turned once again. Jiyong noticed the massive double-leaf gate that seemed to reach the sky right in front of them. Clearly, the hound was there to protect the entrance. That thought made his chest heavy, a new fear spreading on his head.

"Can I ask you something?"  Youngbae groaned but nodded, so the orange-haired man continued."Where are we?"

"Oh damn it; Daesung didn’t explain a thing to you. He always leaves me the hard stuff, come on!” Youngbae snapped, raising his hands in an exasperated manner. Then he sighed, and Jiyong saw pity on his small eyes. “Here is your answer: Underworld. Yes, as in  _The_  Underworld." Jiyong’s jaw dropped but Youngbae cut his next question."And before you ask, no, you are not dead but I won't tell you the details and yes, I'm also known as Cerberus and Daesung is Charon the _oh-so-mighty_ ferryman of the Underworld, in case you are wondering. Now please stop asking stuff or I will hate you."

Jiyong was full of questions, but he decided to shut up because Youngbae seemed to be ready to bite him even in his human form. Silently, he followed the short man (because yes, Jiyong was taller than the infernal dog, not that he was going to mention it) and marveled when the other opened the giant door just by gently touching it with his right hand.

The bronze gates of the Underworld moved without a sound and Jiyong tilted his head, trying to see how Hell was like. But, contrary to his belief, there was no fire in sight, or people suffering and screaming. It was just an endless field covered in grayish flowers, completely peaceful and gloomy, with smoky silhouettes floating around. Without noticing it, he stepped in front to take a better view of the plants.

“ _Asphodelus ramosus_ ” he muttered, caressing a petal of the star-shaped flower.

“Asphodels. The food of the dead” Youngbae stated. The petal Jiyong was holding separated from the flower, and the boy stared at it in pure amazement. It was soft under his palm, and he decided to put it on his pocket, realizing that he was still wearing the clothes he was using in the greenhouse. “Hey, I know the flowers are pretty and all that stuff, but I need to guide you quickly. I have doors to watch.”

Jiyong nodded and followed the short man through a small path that bordered the meadow, sending curious glances to the floating shadows that inhabited it. They seemed bodiless, but then one of the shadows wafted near them, he could distinguish the features of a teenage girl. He felt a sting on his stomach at the realization that she was _so young and_ _dead_.

“Try not to look at them” Youngbae warned, breaking the silence. “They are peaceful spirits and they can’t remember anything from their previous existence. They spend their time walking in the fields until they are picked to be born once again.”

“Wait. Are…are you saying reincarnation is real?”

“Of course it is. The field can’t contain the amount of people that has ever existed” the Hound explained as he was talking about the weather and not answering one of the universal mysteries. Jiyong opened his mouth but nothing came out. He needed a coffee to process it, or vodka. Both could be good.

“Here we are” Youngbae announced after a few minutes of walking. A stone mansion rose on a hill, reminding him of his countless summers on the countryside. But even if this house was as big as the one in his childhood memories, the coziness and familiar warm were missing.

“Is everything on the Underworld so _close_?” he asked, putting his usual sassy tone on the last word. Youngbae rolled his eyes at him, and then pointed at the road that leaded to the entrance of the house. “Go inside. And try to be polite for once, you know?”

“Who said I’m not?”

“ _I’m_ saying it. Don’t forget to knock. Good luck, Jiyong.”

“How do you know my name?” he said, but when he turned his head, Youngbae was already gone.

Jiyong sighed; once again he had to follow the orders of strangers that always left him alone to follow another stranger. Hoping he could find someone that actually explained to him what was going on, he climbed the road and approached the porch. The door was made of ebony and the knocker was a bronze owl holding a heavy ring. He knocked three times and waited, holding his hands behind his back to suppress his anxiety.

The door opened slowly, revealing the head of a very handsome man. His defined features and intense stare made Jiyong shiver in place. The man raised an eyebrow, clearly studying him, and a smug pursed his lips.

“Who are you looking for, total stranger?” the man said. His voice was deep and smooth, but the orange-haired man heard certain tone of mischievousness on it. Jiyong cleared his throat.

“Hello, I’m…Kwon Jiyong…and Bae-I mean, Youngbae. Or do you call him Cerberus? He…he brought me here and told me to knock.”

Jiyong turned his head down, realizing how stupid he had sounded. He didn’t even know what he was looking for, or why he was lead to this place. If he wasn’t dead as Youngbae and Daesung previously stated, then what was happening? Maybe this was some kind of bureaucratic mistake and they needed to get him out of the Underworld.

He was waiting for this man to say _‘Oh yeah, we carried your spirit here by mistake, turns out it wasn’t your time already’_ or anything along these lines but the guy opened the door completely and offered his hand to him. Jiyong doubted a millisecond before taking it, unaccustomed to handshakes. But Youngbae had said that he needed to be polite and he wasn’t going to ruin it.

“Kwon Jiyong, my name is Seunghyun. Please, come in.”

Jiyong obeyed, carefully observing the man and the entrance. Seunghyun was wearing a lilac suit that mismatched completely the gloom aura of the house. His black hair was neatly combed and he was holding a long cane in his left hand, a beautiful staff crowned by a golden pinecone.

“Are you Youngbae’s master?”Jiyong dared to ask as the man closed the door behind them.

 “No, I’m just a close friend of the Master” Seunghyun explained. “I’m just paying him a visit, and I must tell you, my timing is awesome.”

Jiyong just smiled at that remark, pretending he wasn’t curious about the meaning behind it. Seunghyun took a few steps on the hall they were currently in, without waiting for him to follow. That was when another thought snapped on the back of his mind.

“Hey, Seunghyun, are you...” Jiyong stopped mid-sentence when Seunghyun looked at him, intimidated again by his almost lunatic stare. “I mean, Youngbae and Daesung are…Cerberus and…Charon? So I was wondering if you…”

“I’m Dionysus. You know; the god of wine, parties and madness, to name a few of my fields” Seunghyun answered nonchalantly.

“A GOD?!” Jiyong snapped, making Seunghyun jump in surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“So, you believe that Daesung is Charon and Youngbae is the Hound of the Underworld but you don’t believe that I’m a god?”Seunghyun stated, clearly amused by the situation. “Come on, Jiyong. Look at my face. Where do you think that the phrase ‘godly features’ came from?”

 Jiyong suppressed his urge to scoff at Seunghyun’s silly argument. He recalled those myths his grandfather used to tell him, in which stupid men rejected gods and they always ended up being a plant or a tree or a horrible bug, and he was being stupid enough to tempt his luck in front of-probably-one of them.

“Okay, I believe in you” he lied. Seunghyun’s mouth turned into a pleased smile, and he took the opportunity to ask something more. “Can you tell me what I’m doing here?”

“Well, why would I tell you, if I can _show_ you what you will be _doing_ here?” Seunghyun wriggled his eyebrows, and Jiyong decided not to read too much into the sentence or to think about the future tense the god used.

Seunghyun opened the door at the end of the small hall and they entered a large living room decorated with sofas, several paintings and sculptures and to his surprise, a big TV on a wall. There was a stair ahead that divided in two, leading to the first floor, and three doors on the right wall. All was illuminated by a pretty candelabrum, a tree-shaped structure made of crystal and gold.

“Follow me to the office” Seunghyun ordered. He reached the second door, but Jiyong stopped him with a question before he could hold the knob.

“Who is the master? I want to know who you are taking me to.”

Seunghyun sent him a charming smile, mischief placed on his dark eyes. Then he crossed his arms over his chest, supporting his weight on his staff.

“Jiyong, I will take you a quick quiz. First, where are you?”

“On the Underworld?”Jiyong answered, feeling like he was back into primary school and his teacher was making him recite the multiplication tables.

 “Now, who rules the Underworld?”

“The Devil?”

“WHAT?” Seunghyun snapped, clearly furious. “This is Greek mythology, Mr. Kwon! What kind of catholic apostolic roman nonsense are you talking about?”

“But the Underworld is like Hell. Isn’t it the same thing with a different name?”

“WHAT-wait, I don’t care. I won’t explain you the difference right now. Now, who rules the Underworld, according to ancient Greece?”

“It was Hades. The one that hated Hercules.”

Seunghyun unfolded his arms to cover his frustrated face with his hand.

“Hades didn’t hate Hercules. Stop buying what Disney wants you to believe!”

“So, your point is that I’m about to meet Hades.”

“Yes. And for the love of the Gods, try not to mention that stupid thing about Hercules once again, or I will hit you with my _thyrsus_.”

Jiyong didn’t have to ask to know that Seunghyun was referring to the cane on his hand, and nodded to the god’s request, approaching his side. The tall man finally turned the knob, entering with Jiyong following suit.

The room was spacious and the walls were covered in books. A desk and a comfortable armchair were placed in the middle, as well as a few chairs for visitors. Jiyong found it similar to his sister’s office on their house. There was a silhouette looking by the window, the asphodel meadows filling the view infinitely. Seunghyun cleared his throat, and the other turned to them.  

Jiyong held his breath. The man was tall, not as much as Seunghyun, and his messy hair was completely white. He was wearing a black suit that made Jiyong feel he wasn’t dressed for the occasion, whatever this occasion was. And for his face, it was the prettiest face he had ever seen.

Kiko’s face suddenly popped on his mind, and he decided that Hades had the prettiest _male_ face he had ever seen, as if his fiancée could hear his thoughts. But it was true, Hades was the most handsome man-or god-he had ever met, even if his eye bags were dark in contrast of his pale skin and his eyes seemed so sad and his lips tugged in the corners as if he was secretly smiling. All this train of thoughts took him only a few seconds, until Seunghyun broke the silence in the room, smiling widely at Hades.

 “Kwon Jiyong, meet Hades. He likes to go by Seungri” the god introduced him. Jiyong met the eyes of the god of the Underworld and found out that he couldn’t read his expression, so he composed his most charming smile to hide his panic attack. Hades said nothing, so Seunghyun kept on talking. “He actually wanted to go by Seunghyun but I chose the name first.”

Jiyong started to believe that the god of wine was too childish for a deity, based on the mischievous grin he sent to Seungri. But the other remained silent and Seunghyun probably noticed it, going back to his cocky pose of crossed arms over the thyrsus.

“Come on Seungri, aren’t you going to say hi to your future _bride_?”


	3. Act Two: Can't run away without a road

At first, Jiyong thought his brain disconnected his ears from the part that processed language and he was filling the sentences with random words. Because it was impossible that Seunghyun referred about him as a _bride_.

Jiyong smiled widely, convinced that it was a joke Seunghyun was making just to break the ice. So he laughed, covering his mouth with delicacy and waiting to hear them laughing along. But none of them moved, Seunghyun still wearing his challenging expression and Seungri frowning to the latter. That was enough to make him choke on his laugh and start coughing uncontrollably. The god of wine put a hand over his back, hitting him a few times to help him recover his breath.

“That…that was a great joke, Seunghyun” Jiyong tried after a moment of awkward silence.

“I’m afraid he’s not joking” Seungri said. Jiyong turned at the sound; it was a warm voice, the kind of soothing tone appropriate to sing lullabies. And then he realized what the other had stated.

“Wh-WHAT?” Jiyong turned to Seunghyun, trying to find a back up in all this nonsense.

“Should I use my authoritarian god voice for this?” Seunghyun pretended he was having hard time thinking, and then nodded to himself, composing a serious tone. “Kwon Jiyong, you are the chosen one to marry the god of the Underworld. Oracle’s orders.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Jiyong snapped, fighting his need to punch the god on the stomach.

“You-are-his-fiancée” Seunghyun explained, making a pause on each word as if the orange-haired guy was three years old. Jiyong felt that his cheeks were turning red from fury.

“I’M NOT, I ALREADY HAVE A FIANCÉE!” Seunghyun sent him an apologetic look but remained silent, so Jiyong turned to Seungri, waiting for an explanation.

“I told you this wouldn’t work” Seungri said to Seunghyun, his mouth curving in a sad smile. “He loves her too much.”

“It doesn’t matter. Nobody goes against fate” Seunghyun stated, ignoring the resignation in Seungri’s voice. “The oracle is made to be obeyed.”

“The oracle is-Hey, STOP TALKING LIKE I’M NOT HERE!”Jiyong screamed, earning the attention of the gods. He felt small under their stare, momentarily losing his bravado. “I-Look, I don’t…I need to sit.”

Seungri moved from his spot next to the window and pulled one of the chairs in front of the desk for him. Jiyong walked carefully, avoiding the god’s intense gaze over him. Seunghyun sat next to him and Seungri took the armchair. Jiyong fixed his eyes on the small statue of an owl that decorated the table to avoid looking at him.

“Are you okay?” Seunghyun asked and he nodded, even though he felt like he was about to faint. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“SEUNGHYUN!” Seungri snapped, making the god of wine laugh.

“What, I’m trying to help you here! You need him to stay.”

“Not like that!”

“Stop it” Jiyong said under his breath, his voice bursting in anger. He trailed his hands over his hair in frustration. “I need…I need you to explain it to me. I need to know what is happening.”

“Okay, Jiyongie, let me tell you a marvelous story of love and longing and-”

“Don’t.” Seungri cut his friend’s speech. “ _I_ will explain it to him. And _you_ will leave us alone.”

Seunghyun made a weird squeal and Jiyong almost laughed when he looked at the deity. He was pouting at Seungri, his bottom lip fully exposed and his head tilted trying to look cute and convincing. But Seungri wasn’t having any of it and after a full minute of cute stare versus serious gaze, Seunghyun sighed and stood.

“Fine. I will go and pet Youngbae or something” the tall guy said before patting Jiyong’s shoulder. “Kwon Jiyong, be nice with my kid here” he pointed at Seungri with his chin, “And don’t look when I fade, you don’t want to burn like my mother did.”

Jiyong was about to ask him what he meant when the god’s skin started to glow in a golden light, forcing him to close his eyes and turn his face to a side in a poor attempt to avoid the warm but powerful glimmer. It only lasted a few seconds and when he opened his eyes, it was just Seungri and him on the office.

“Okay, now shoot.”

“What?” Jiyong asked, jumping on his place at the sound of Seungri’s voice, even when the other man was talking in a gentle tone.

“Ask me what you want to know, that’s what I meant.”

“I-I want” Jiyong’s voice faltered when he met Seungri’s orbs. Under the dimming light of the room, his eyes were made of chocolate, brighten up near the irises; making him forget what he was going to say. After a painful moment of silence, the boy cleared his throat. “Why did Seunghyun said that his mother…burned?”

Seungri raised an eyebrow at this, clearly not expecting his first question to be about something so trivial. It wasn’t Jiyong’s intention to ask it either, but it was the best thing his brain could come up with.

“Dionysus mother asked to Zeus to show himself to her in his true form” Seungri explained. “Every time we disappear, we become pure energy. If you see it, you disintegrate as you would do if you approached a star.”

“Is it true?” Jiyong said in small voice, trying to reunite his bravery once again. “That I’m supposed to be your…fiancée.”

“It is. I’m in need of a wife, and the Oracle pointed at you as the one born to occupy that place.”

Jiyong gulped at the sincerity in Seungri’s voice. There was no trace of mockery or anger or happiness, as if Seungri was talking about someone else getting married. Like he wasn’t explaining him they were supposedly destined to be _together_. Completely cold and detached.

“But I’m human. I can’t…I mean, I’m mortal. Isn’t supposed that you can’t die? Or you recycle fiancées until they die?”

For the first time, Jiyong didn’t felt anxious to lock his eyes with Seungri. The idea of being dispensable for the gods as if he was a toy on a shelf was horrid enough to make his usual confidence return. He was no plaything, his life was important for him and he wasn’t going to allow something as an oracle to change it.

“You will become immortal when we get together. And I don’t recycle fiancées, Jiyong” Seungri stated, making him miss a beat at the softness in which his name was pronounced. “I just need you.”

Jiyong broke eye contact, ignoring how Seungri’s glance tinted at something very similar as desire on the last sentence. He moved on his seat, wondering why he was so nervous. Maybe it was because he wasn’t accustomed to flirtations. He hasn’t received any kind of proposal in a long time, and the feeling was foreign to him.

_This is stupid._

“I can’t marry you.” He found a safe spot to look while talking, right on the first button in Seungri’s shirt, and his gaze traveled quickly from it to the deity’s face and back to his collar. “I really appreciate the opportunity, but I’m perfectly fine with my mortal life, thank you very much.”

“What can I do to convince you?” Seungri asked after a small silence.

“This is not negotiable” Jiyong said in the best bossy voice he could compose, standing up to emphasize his words. “I won’t marry you, and I want to go back. Now do your magic and let me get out from here.”

“I can’t do that.”

“It doesn’t matter. I will find my way back” Jiyong challenged. Seungri didn’t move from his seat, so he reached the living room and slammed the office’s door to show his annoyance. His steps were so fast that when he got to the main gate he was already panting.

The hill was plain and quiet in contrast to his inner turmoil. Jiyong stopped for a moment in order to catch his breath, noticing the flowers decorating the entrance. He hadn’t paid attention to them when he got into the house-maybe due to his anxiety-but he was almost sure that the hill was just covered with grass before. Sadly, he was in the middle of an escape and the only thing he could admire running downhill were the marvelous sweet violets that bordered the road.

 He reached the end of the terrain but the path Youngbae used wasn’t there anymore. The bronze wall that limited the Asphodels Meadows was just a fine line in the horizon. His heart squeezed at the sight, but he couldn’t lose another minute. Without stopping, he started jogging through the asphodels and the ghosts.

When one of the foggy spirits floated near him, Jiyong fastened his pace and started running. His legs were burning at the force, but his rampant anxiety ordered him to keep on escaping, to reach the gates of the Underworld and jump to the Acheron and swim until he faded in the initial darkness he was in.

_Calm yourself._

Jiyong slowed his tracks at the voice in his mind, the voice that once belonged to his dear mother. When he was little, his shyness often leaded to panic attacks in which he stopped talking and his mind went blank. But his mother came up with an effective method to soothe his anxiety.

_“What is its scientific name, Jiyong?”_

He finally stopped, resting his palms over his knees to catch his breath.

“ _Viola odorata._ Sweet violet” he recited in a small voice, remembering the drawings of the flower on his first Plants Atlas. “Grows from early spring to almost the end of the summer. It’s often used as anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and even laxative.”

“That’s impressive” Seungri said, standing a few meters in front of him. The spirits on the meadow have seemed to fade, as if Seungri’s presence scared them. Jiyong could relate a little.

His mother liked to search for the symbol each flower or plant represented. Sweet violet was used by Romans on their tombs, meaning peaceful death. On Victorian era it meant honesty or innocence. And on modern times, it represented family, loyalty, and _marriage_.

Jiyong scoffed at the irony.

“Let me go.”

“I already told you I can’t” Seungri said, taking a careful step towards him.

“Don’t come close to me! Get my life back!”

“I can’t, Jiyong.”

“Am I dead then? Did you kill me to bring me here?”

“You’re alive” Seungri assured and Jiyong didn’t doubt his words.

“Then get me back to my life. I have a life! I have a sister, a girlfriend, and an engagement tomorrow!”

Seungri remained silent for a while, until Jiyong realized he wasn’t going to say anything else. Kicking the grass out of pure rage, Jiyong passed the god and kept his walk towards the bronze walls.

“We can make an agreement” Seungri’s voice slid through him after he walked some meters, making him stop and turn to face the god.

“I won’t make any agreement with the Devil. I don’t care what you have to offer.”

Seungri scoffed at this, piercing him with his eyes.

“I’m not the Devil. I’m the god of Underworld.”

“Same thing” Jiyong dared and Seungri closed his eyes for a while, as if he was containing himself not to hit the mortal.

“Believe what you want. If you don’t want an agreement, that’s fine. After all, you are the only one in disadvantage.” Jiyong didn’t answer, and Seungri took it as an invitation to keep on talking. “You can complain and stay out here with the souls all you want, but I won’t let you come back. But, if you and I come to an agreement, you might have a chance to get your life back.”

“What do you want?” Jiyong asked finally after some minutes.

“Time” Seungri declared, earning a curious look from Jiyong. “Spend some time with me.”

“Spend time with you as in a date?” Jiyong asked, feeling embarrassed in the second the words left his mouth.

“As in live with me” Seungri stated, and Jiyong felt his face getting red as a tomato. “Let’s live together for a while, and I will make you fall in love with me before our agreement ends.”

“You sound so confident” Jiyong complained, “I will never fall in love with you.”

“Then if you are so sure about it, you won’t reject my offer, right?”

Jiyong felt like he was being cornered in a dark alley, even thought they were standing meters apart in an endless field under a cloudy light sky. He looked at his feet trying to find an answer, but his shoes were full of mug and grass and didn’t say anything.

“How much time do you want?”

Seungri’s face lighted up at his question, suddenly blinding him with a full teeth smile.

“A year.”

“No way. A week.”

“What kind of people fall in love in a week?” Seungri said, taking a step in front. “Six months.”

“Two weeks.”

“Three months.”

“Two weeks and a half.”

“Two months.”

“Three weeks.”

“A month” said Seungri, standing right in front of Jiyong, which made him panic at the sudden proximity.

“Four weeks” Jiyong muttered, biting his lip at his stupid response.

“Done!” Seungri beamed, offering him his hand. Jiyong hesitantly took it, surprised at its warm. “We live together for a month as a couple, and if you fall in love with me-which you will do-you stay as my spouse.”

“We live together for a month” Jiyong omitted the word _couple_ , “and if I don’t fall in love with you at the end of it, you will let me go. _Forever_.”

Seungri frowned at the last word.

“Fine. It’s a deal. Now we swear to honor our deal over the river Styx.” Jiyong sent a questioning glance to Seungri. “The name of the goddess Styx is sacred. Everyone swears over it.”

“Okay. I swear to keep my promise over the river Styx” Jiyong recited along with the god, and then took his hand out from Seungri’s grasp.

“Let’s go home then” Seungri said, and a golden bird-tipped sceptre appeared on his hands, making Jiyong gasp in surprise. The god hit the floor once and the flowers and mug moved aside, creating a path towards the mansion.

“I still don’t get it, you know” Jiyong said, after a few steps in silence. He felt Seungri’s gaze over him, so he kept on talking. “I’m a normal person. And I’m a man. Don’t you need a wife?”

“You were chosen to be Persephone. And gender doesn’t matter. In fact, Aphrodite is a boy. Our lovely Jinwoo is the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s how you plan to court me? Calling other guy ‘the prettiest man you’ve ever seen’?” Jiyong joked, chuckling at the statement.

“Already jealous?” Seungri asked, turning Jiyong’s smile into a frown. Just like when he walked with Youngbae, they reached the house quickly. The garden was still there, bringing the house some charm that it wasn’t there before, which convinced Jiyong that the flowers had appeared there while he was inside the mansion. A thought struck his mind, making him stop in the middle of the hill.

“Did you put these flowers on your entrance?”

_Are they for me?_

“Yes. You like them, right?” Seungri said nonchalantly, reaching the porch in a few steps.

“They’re beautiful.”

Seungri opened the door before Jiyong reached the entrance, revealing a very amused Seunghyun and a very pissed Youngbae. The god of wine pushed Seungri aside and a tray with a bottle and some fruits materialized on his hand.

“I’m so glad you sorted things out! Want some pomegranate, Jiyong?”

“SEUNGHYUN!” Seungri screamed, hitting the tray with his golden sceptre. Jiyong stepped back, completely sure that the bottle would break and stain his jeans, but Seunghyun made a swift move with his thyrsus and the food was gone in a blink.

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, KID?! I’M TRYING TO BE NICE WITH YOUR SPOUSE HERE!” Seunghyun burst out, pointing at Jiyong with his thyrsus.

“HE’S NOT MY SPOUSE YET, IDIOT! STOP OFFERING HIM FOOD!”

Jiyong stepped aside, watching the god’s quarrel in fear. He was almost waiting that they started hitting each other with their canes, but honestly speaking, they looked more like kids fighting on a playground than adults-or Greek gods.

“They’re always like this” a voice said, and he turned only to find Youngbae frowning at the pair. The expression on his eyes remained him of his parents when he used to fight with Dami about the ice cream flavor they wanted to choose. Jiyong smiled fondly at the Hound.

“I just don’t understand why Seungri got so pissed, honestly.”

“It’s because you can’t eat or drink here” Youngbae explained, almost talking on his ear because the gods kept screaming. “Well, you can, but it will tie you to the Underworld forever. That’s how the first Persephone got trapped in here, eating pomegranate seeds. Personally, I think she ate them on purpose.”

Jiyong blinked once, twice, until he understood what Youngbae meant. He recalled how Seunghyun offered him food before and how Seungri reacted, and an involuntary smile lighted up his face.

“He’s really honest and good, you know” Youngbae said, smiling as well. “He didn’t even want to bring you here on the first place, and we had…”

“Youngbae” Seungri called, interrupting their conversation just when Jiyong started being interested on what the dog had to say. “Did you get the clothes?”

“Yes, my Lord” Youngbae assured, straightening his back upon hearing his name. “I prepared everything on the main bedroom.”

“Please guide Jiyong and then come to my office” Seungri ordered before entering the house. Seunghyun followed him and when the door closed behind Jiyong and the Hound, the gods were already gone.

“There are a lot of doors and rooms in this house, but I’ll leave the tour to my Lord, he’s so much better at talking that I am” Youngbae explained while they climbed up the stairs. “The third door to the left is the main bedroom.”

Youngbae reached the knob and turned it, making space for Jiyong to step first into the bedroom. He stood there, admiring the precious wooden furniture and the exquisite decoration. The king size bed occupied most of it, with its four wooden posts that crawled in weird ways until they reached the roof of the bed, which was made of an intricate mix of green leaves.

“Are the vines made of plastic?” Jiyong asked, walking ahead for a closer view.

“Nope. Seunghyun made it as a greeting present for my Lord” Youngbae informed. “Right door is the bathroom, left door the closet. There are some clothes for you on the bed, so I’ll leave you alone to change.”

“Thank you, Youngbae” said Jiyong with sincerity, and was rewarded with a warm smile from the other. Maybe the Hound wasn’t as unfriendly as he previously thought. He was half dog after all, right?

He lifted the perfectly folded pair of black jeans from the bed, surprised to find out that they were exactly his size, as well as underwear. The blue hoodie and white t-shirt were just one size more than his, which was the way he liked to wear them. The labels read _HICE CREAM_ , embroidered in a bright plum thread. It was the first time Jiyong saw the label, despite knowing a lot about fashion.

There was also a black box with a golden hare painted on the cover. It contained a pair of white trainers with small wings painted on the sides. Jiyong immediately loved them, and started getting undressed quickly to try on his new clothes.

After he finished, he folded his belongings and decided to go back downstairs, feeling uncomfortable with so much silence surrounding him. Back on his house, there was always some noise: the housemaid cleaning, his sister walking and talking on the phone all around, the radio or TV on, his own computer blasting hip hop on his room, Kiko’s voice resonating in the hall, calling for him…

A knot tied on his stomach at the thought of his fiancée, his true fiancée. Was she waiting for him back on reality? He didn’t know how the gods had arranged his visit to the Underworld. Would he be presumed lost, or dead? Would Kiko think that he left her just a day before their engagement?

_I should have asked before making a contract with a deity._

Leaving the bedroom, he approached the stairs. Seungri was talking with Seunghyun and Youngbae down in the living room, but he went quiet when Jiyong appeared on his sight. Everyone turned to look at him, seriousness painted on their faces. Jiyong combed his bangs with his hand, feeling the nervousness kicking in once again under the scrutiny of the group.

“Our Jiyong is back!”Seunghyun said, breaking the awkward silence. “Did you like the bed? Whoever had made it is a genius, right?”

“I already told him you made it, Seunghyun” Youngbae snorted, earning a childish pout from the god.

“It’s a beautiful bed, Seunghyun” Jiyong complimented, walking down the stairs. “I would like to have one in my house.”

“But you have it” Seunghyun said. “This is your house.”

“That’s not what I-”

“I know what you meant, but this will be your house because you’ll fall in love with our tiny kid here” Seunghyun beamed, suddenly grabbing Seungri’s head under his arm and rubbing his white hair in a playful but rude manner. The other started screaming and complaining, and if Jiyong wouldn’t remember who they were and what they could do, he could have thought they were brothers playing around.

“I still can’t believe you and Daesung bet against him” the god of wine said to Youngbae when Seungri finally broke free from his grasp.

“I still can’t believe you bet _on_ him.”

“Thanks for the support” Seungri complained at his Hound.

“I support you, but I can’t be as positive as Seunghyun.”

“Bad dog, bad dog!” Seunghyun scolded him. “Let’s go and leave the lovebirds alone, I have parties to assist to.”

“You need to stop attending so many parties. The mortals go crazy when you are around and-”

“Shut up, Mama Bae” Seunghyun cut him. “I’ve got enough scolding from Zeus himself, thank you very much.”

“But you never listen to him! There’s-”Youngbae stopped midsentence, realizing the glow coming from the god’s skin.

“GOD OF PARTY OUT, PEOPLE!” Seunghyun screamed, and Jiyong could see him making a heart sign with his fingers before turning his head to protect his eyes from the powerful light the god emitted.

“I will be back to my duty, my Lord” Youngbae announced once the light was gone. “Call me if you need it.”

“Thank you for your services, Youngbae” Seungri said with a tiny smile, and the Hound made a bow and left the room.

 “So, do you like your clothes?”Seungri asked after a few seconds, taking Jiyong out of his thoughts.

“Yes, I…I like them, but I never saw these labels.”

“Oh! That’s because Hayi makes all of our clothes. She’s the best. And the shoes are from Seungyoon, if you say the right words the wings come to life.”

“Who is Hayi-wait, the wings _come to life?!_ ”

Seungri’s eyes were glowing when he reached the end of the stairs and took both of his hands. Jiyong gulped at the closeness but stood still in place, waiting for the god to say something.

“Say _throw all your worries to the sky, blow up_ ” Seungri commanded, his thumbs caressing the man’s hands. Jiyong cocked an eyebrow, but obeyed, repeating the weird line in a whisper.

He felt something moving on his feet, and when he looked down, a scream left his lips. The small colorful drawings had separated from the shoes, turning into real feathers that formed two beautiful wings.  Jiyong gaped at this, making a small jump out of pure surprise, and the wings started moving.

“No, no, no, no, NO” the man said, freaking out when his feet left the floor and he started floating. Seungri smiled at him, still holding his hands.

“It’s okay, I got you” the god said in a calming voice. Jiyong felt his feet rising and rising, until his body was almost upside down and his only source of equilibrium were Seungri’s hands.

“Make it stop!” Jiyong cried, starting to get desperate. Seungri laughed at him, a full and loud sound that resonated in the room, warming Jiyong cheeks. It was so pretty, so contagious, that it made Jiyong laugh as well, calming him down.

“You’re getting the hand of it” Seungri said, and Jiyong realized he was still floating midair without turning upside down. “Should I stop grabbing you?”

“NO! I want to go down” he pleaded, despite liking the sensation.

“Say _we fall down, clash, get scarred.”_

 _“_ We fall down, clash, get scarred” Jiyong repeated quickly, feeling the sudden pull of gravity pushing him down. Seungri let his hands go, only to grab him from his waist to help him steady his body once again.

Jiyong looked at his shoes to find its wings vanished, or better said, back at being simple drawings. He left his breath out, happy to feel the hard floor under his feet. A little smile appeared on his face, until he felt Seungri was still grabbing his waist. He lifted his gaze and locked it with the god’s brown orbs, surprised at the realization.

“Jiyong” Seungri called in a whisper, holding him softly. “Do you want to sleep with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I'm back. Sorry for the wait, I just started my second semester and haven't got any time to write.  
> I will try to write faster and I think I will publish the next chapter in two weeks or so (maybe in less time but it depends on how bad college treats me)  
> Comment and let me know what you think!!Thank you for leaving kudos and reading, it makes me so happy you have no idea ♥


	4. Act Three: Chamber Hymns

Something was burning in Jiyong’s stomach, as if an anchor was pulling him down and twisting his insides, but it wasn’t painful. And it was precisely the absence of pain or anger or disgust that made him step back from Seungri’s embrace in a hurried and violent manner.

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” he squealed, but the god started laughing at his increasing blush.

“What? I thought you were tired after your journey.”

“But you asked- I mean, you said…”

“Are you having luscious thoughts, Jiyong?” Seungri wriggled his eyebrows playfully, making him realize he was being mocked. “I didn’t know you are such a pervert…”

“I’M NOT! YOU ARE THE ONE SAYING THINGS THAT CAN BE EASILY MISUNDERSTOOD!”

A loud sound cut his rant and Jiyong needed a minute to process that once again Seungri was laughing at him. His laughter was really loud and reminded to the background laugh pre-recorded for comedies, that kind of sound that made everyone feel happy even on the worst days. But Jiyong felt mortified and pulled a frown, even crossing his arms over his chest for dramatic purposes.

“Ah, you are so…” Seungri started, gasping for air. Jiyong cocked an eyebrow and waited for him to finish the sentence, but the god just smiled enigmatically. “Let’s have a tour around the house. You need to know every corner of it if we’re going to live together.”

Jiyong avoided taking the hand that Seungri was offering him, and started walking upstairs once again. The god sighed behind him, provoking a smirk of satisfaction in the human. He was resolute to avoid any kind of romantic gesture or advances Seungri tried on him, and he was sure he would succeed. Kiko used to say he was a stubborn person, and it finally was a good trait.

_She should be thankful for my stubbornness, if she could see me now…_

“This is the playroom” Seungri said, snapping him out of his trail of thoughts. They were in front of the first door to the left.

“Playroom?”

Seungri opened the door wide and Jiyong stepped inside. It was much bigger than the main bedroom, two walls covered with tons of games for Playstation. There was a TV too huge to be commercialized on earth-probably enlarged with magic-a pool table on one side and on the far corner, a dance machine near to some arcade games.

“Seriously? A dance machine?” Jiyong teased, walking near the device.

“Yes, seriously” Seungri rolled his eyes at the question, “I really like to dance.”

“Do you play solo?”

“Not really. Most of the times Youngbae makes me company. Seunghyun also likes to visit but we don’t use the dance machine since he almost broke his neck trying to jump over the bar.”

“But he is a god” Jiyong reasoned, “Gods can’t die, right?”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t feel pain too.”

 The next room was, surprisingly, a huge library. It was bigger than the playroom, and Jiyong started questioning if magic was involved in the architecture of the house. There were a lot of books covering every wall and an intricate set of shelves, as well as a sofa and some chairs in front of a dark brown wooden table. It remained him of the library on his college, mostly because the lights that illuminated the room were exactly the same and there was certain coziness that he couldn’t forget despite having finished his career a long time ago.

“Do you like to read?”Seungri asked, surprising him after a short silence.

“I…I used to.”

“Used to?”

“I used to read a lot, back in college. Mostly about plants and art and crime novels. I used to read comics too.”

“What made you change?” Seungri asked, pursing his lips as if he were feeling pity. Jiyong felt suddenly exposed under his gaze, regretting his words.

“I didn’t…I don’t have much time now. I work at our company and lately Kiko and I have…”

His voice trailed off, noticing how Seungri’s eyes went straight to the floor at the mention of his actual fiancée. Jiyong felt uneasy at the sadness on his face, but the god looked at him once again and smiled briefly, inviting him to keep on talking.

“So, do you read?”

“Yeah, I often do. There are plenty of book genres in here, comics are on those shelves” Seungri pointed at the right side of the room. “Actually, I think it’s full of books about plants and flowers on the left corner. I think they were from the previous Persephone.”

“Your previous bride?” Jiyong asked, feeling suddenly curious.

“No” Seungri said, “The last Persephone was married to the previous Hades. They disappeared together, or that’s what Seunghyun said. I became Hades after that.”

Jiyong nodded, trying to suppress the flow of questions his curiosity was starting to formulate. Seungri sent him a flashing smile out of nowhere, and made a gesture to the door. The next room in their tour was one that made the mortal actually gape, throwing at the window his attempt to look indifferent at the marvelous house.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. An actual cinema?”

Seungri chuckled at him, walking towards a small desk placed near them. There was just a keyboard over it, and Jiyong thought it looked like a typewriter. The god pushed some tabs and the big screen turned on, the rest of the lights in the room fading to reveal the image. He recognized the movie in less than a minute.

 _In the mood for love_.

Jiyong loved that film.

“Hey” he called, protected by the dim light of the screen. “Can you read my mind?”

Seungri didn’t answer for a while.

“I can try, if I want to. However, other gods are better at reading people than me. I’m…more used to see the dead.”

“Promise me you won’t” Jiyong said. “Promise me you won’t read my mind, not even if I accept your proposal.”

“So there’s a chance for me, after all.”

“Just do it” Jiyong’s words were resolute, and Seungri composed a serious face at his tone. “Promise you won’t, over the river Styx.”

“I promise I will never read your mind, in the name of the Styx.”

The movie stopped. Jiyong blinked at the sudden brightness in the cinema, and there was Seungri, his intense gaze overwhelming him. He turned his head trying to scape from those eyes, examining the room once again.

“This house doesn’t look this big.”

“It’s magical. Bom’s specialty is to make large rooms that look smaller from the outside.”

“And Bom is…?”

“Hestia, goddess of hearth and architecture. If you want to change any of these rooms we can call her and…”

“No” Jiyong cut his sentence. “I don’t want to change anything. This is not my house, and it will never be.”

Seungri was far away from looking upset at his harsh words, and just lifted his hands in a defeated gesture. Jiyong followed him to the next door, which turned out to be a small guest room. Apparently, Seunghyun used it on his usual stays on the house, and there was a sweet scent of grapes all over it.

“The next one is my music room.”

“Music room? What, you have like a gigantic radio that plays any song you ask for?”

Seungri walked away from him, opening another door. Jiyong saw a piano, a guitar, and some other instruments on the corners of the room. There was also a red phonograph next to the window, and he was sure it would play any song as he predicted.

“Do you play them?”

“Only the piano” Seungri confessed, “Actually, a lot of furniture and objects on this place were here before I arrived.  Only the playroom was my idea.”

“And the dancing machine.”

“Yes, the dance machine. If you keep on trying to mock me about it I won’t let you step on it until the next century.”

Jiyong smiled mischievously, but then he had to cover his mouth to hide a yawn. When he opened his eyes, Seungri was staring at him with curiosity.

“Oh, I’m here trying to impress you with this magnificent house without realizing you must be tired. Let’s go to sleep.”

“Don’t you want to have dinner first?” Jiyong asked, trying to delay the moment to go back to the main room.

“I’m not hungry, and I won’t tempt you by eating in front of you, not even if you can’t really feel hunger.”

Jiyong realized he wasn’t hungry at all, and he mentally noted to ask Seungri-or maybe Youngbae-about that fact. However, the god turned over his heels and headed to his bedroom, the one that they would be sharing for a month.

_Just thirty nights. Nothing less, nothing more._

His apparent calm disappeared in the moment Seungri emerged from the bathroom. He was wearing blue cotton pants and a black t-shirt that used to have some kind of drawing erased by the time and the washing machine. He looked young and normal now that he got rid of his suit, and Jiyong found himself preferring this domestic look rather than the previous.

“Jiyong” Seungri called.

“Yes?”

“What are all these pillows for?” the god asked, pointing at the trial of pillows dividing the bed in two. Jiyong gathered his trust and smiled widely.

“I put those there.”

“I know you did, Jiyong” Seungri’s tone was really calm, but his eyes sparked with sarcasm, “Why did you put them there?”

“I like to sleep that way” Jiyong smirked in challenge. “If you excuse me, I will go and change.”

He sighed in relief when the bathroom door closed behind him, leaning his back on it to collect his thoughts. Looking around, he was marveled by the black ceramic floor and walls, which shone under a yellow candelabra way too fancy for a bathroom. There was a huge mirror, a shower and a bathtub, and he found out the toilet had the same electronic system that was currently used on Japan.

“Nice” he muttered, checking his surroundings once more before changing his clothes to cotton black pajamas that Seungri materialized with his cane. Jiyong wondered if Seungri would make them disappear with the same movement, or if he would go traditional and use his own hands.

_WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?_

Despite trying not to think about it, he was genuinely curious. He was sure that Seungri would try to approach him that night, and he was afraid the god would force him into something; even thought Seungri looked very collected since they met. But it could be just a façade to make Jiyong fall for him and then he would show his true personality. The reasons to prevent himself from liking Seungri kept piling up as well as his fears and panic.

“Seungri” Jiyong called after washing his face. “I need a toothbrush.”

“Youngbae prepared one for you” Seungri said from the other side of the door. “It must be on the mirror’s shelf.”

Jiyong opened the mirror and spotted a cup that contained a flower and a toothbrush, but frowned at the sight.

“Why is it pink?”

“What?” Seungri asked, but left out a tiny laugh. “He’s got a weird sense of humor after all.”

“It’s not funny” Jiyong scolded him, despite knowing the god couldn’t see him. He took the pink cup and left it next to Seungri’s white one. “The flower is pretty though.”

 “He left a flower?” Seungri asked, but Jiyong started brushing his teeth and didn’t answer. When he finished, he pulled the flower from the cup and got out of the bathroom, finding the god sitting on the bed. TV was on, but Seungri looked at him and smiled when he appeared on the room.

“ _Rosa gallica_ ” Jiyong said, showing him the French rose on his hand.

“The symbol of Aphrodite, love and beauty” Seungri frowned. “I should tell my Hound not to court you.”

“A pink rose means happiness, and sympathy. It means thank you.”

Seungri’s frown was replaced by a gentle smile.

“That sounds more like Youngbae. You can put it on your light table” the god said, taking his cane and materializing a glass full of water for him.

Jiyong placed the flower on it, admiring the soft shade of its petals. He wondered why Youngbae was thanking him. Was it because he had good manners, or because he was truly grateful to Jiyong for staying next to Seungri? He just hoped the Hound wouldn’t hate him when he left his Lord to go back to the real world.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Seungri asked, pointing at the empty side of the bed.

“Ye-yeah” Jiyong muttered, taking the sheets out and sliding under them in a shift movement. Seungri turned the TV off, and looked at him, still sitting on the bed.

“You know that these pillows are no wall for me, right? Actually they are no wall for anyone in general, mortal or not.”

“I was counting you won’t cross them” Jiyong said, piling up another one on the line. Seungri blinked at him and then started laughing.

“I won’t cross them” Seungri assured, and his tone became a little more deep. “Not tonight.”

“I KNEW YOU’LL WANT TO CROSS THEM!” Jiyong pointed at the god in an accusing manner.

“Of course I want to cross them” Seungri stated, “You are my fiancée, and we are supposed to live as a normal couple, remember? Couples don’t sleep with a pillow fort between them!”

“I won’t cuddle with you, if that’s what you want.” Jiyong locked his gaze with the god to clarify his point. “I don’t want we touch nor do anything intimate.”

Seungri looked away, swallowing hard.

“I won’t force you, Jiyong.” His voice was low, almost a whisper. “I’m not that kind of man.”

“You are no man” Jiyong retorted. “You are a god, and gods do what they please.”

“I will do what pleases _you_ ” Seungri’s tone was full of conviction. “We won’t touch, but I want at least we spend our time as if we were a real couple, as if you loved me.”

“The pillows stay tonight” Jiyong’s stubbornness was showing, even when he knew he wasn’t making any sense.

“Fine” Seungri sighed, and the lights faded out. Jiyong shifted uncomfortably on his place, wondering if the god was truly mad at him.

“Goodnight” he muttered, half hoping the other won’t hear him.

“Goodnight, Jiyong” Seungri whispered. “Dream with me.”

“That would be a nightmare.”

Seungri left out a tiny laugh.

“You’ll learn to love me anyway” he stated, and Jiyong imagined he was mischievously smirking.

“You brag too much.”

“I will dream with you, Jiyong” Seungri said, and the mortal pursed his lips, any kind of sarcastic response dying on his throat.

He was sure he wouldn’t sleep peacefully on the next thirty nights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!! Thanks for commenting and leaving kudos :)


	5. Act Four: Summoning Skills

 

The sun illuminated the vine leaves creating a beautiful ray of green and yellow lights, and the first thought that graced Jiyong that morning was _Oh shit, I fell asleep on the greenhouse again._ But then he remembered the tunnel and the mansion, the ghosts and the river of pain, the flying shoes and a pair of intense eyes burning him while he promised to honor a contract.

Speaking of the Devil, Seungri was nowhere to be found.

Jiyong sat on the bed, realizing he had been cuddling with the pillows he displayed on the evening. The bed was a mess on his side, but the sheets on Seungri’s side were barely crumpled and cold, as if the god had left the room hours ago. He had expected the other to be the first thing he would see in the morning, based on the presumption that Seungri would go all charming on the next month trying to romance him.

There was a note on the wall with a single arrow pointing to the left door. He found another note stick to it, a yellow post-it that just said _“Think what you want to wear and open”_ in small and neat letters. So Jiyong opened it, only to find a thick wall on the other side. Frowning, he closed the door not-so-gently, discovering another post-it under the yellow one.

_“Didn’t work? Try again until you see clothes.”_

Jiyong breathed once, twice. Was it a magical door or Seungri was just playing with him?

The next time, a gasp escaped from his lips, watching an exact replica of his own closet displaying in front of him. He ran towards the first t-shirt he could grasp, hugging the piece of cloth. But the magic faded as soon as he smelled it, and then he found the _HICE CREAM_ label. It was just a mere copy of his original t-shirt. The smell of home, the soft scent that the cleaning lady used to wash his stuff wasn’t there.

Instead, the t-shirt smelled as some kind of flower that Jiyong couldn’t pinpoint. Remembering the gods’ suits he opted for a pair of black trousers and a white shirt, finishing with a black formal coat. Back on the bathroom he tried to comb his hair neatly, decided to cause a good impression. After all, his fashion sense had always been his armor, boosting his confidence to socialize. Maybe if he could have worn a suit on the previous day, he could have convinced Seungri to let him free and everything.

Of course it was a lie and he knew it, but anyone can dream of past possibilities.

“Our bride is finally awake!” Seunghyun greeted when he walked downstairs. “Wow. Are you going to a business meeting?”

Jiyong was still frowning at the word bride when he realized that Seunghyun was wearing checked pajamas, and was barefoot. Sitting on the couch, Youngbae was eating bread in only a pair of shorts, his wide muscular chest on display. Next to the Hound, Seungri was looking at him with a penetrating glimpse on his eyes, his cat-shaped mouth curving upwards in a mysterious smile. He had a red sweater and a pair of jeans, looking as young and fresh as the night before.

“You look so formal” Youngbae stated, talking between the bites. “Will you take him on a date or something?”

“I thought you wore formal clothes all the time” Jiyong said, still on the last step of the stairs.

“Oh no, Seungri wanted to give you a good impression yesterday, that’s all.”

A cushion hit on Seunghyun’s back, making the god snap.

“HEY, I COULD HAVE THROWN MY DRINK!” Jiyong realized the latter was holding a glass full of red wine.

“You shouldn’t have just wine for lunch” Youngbae scolded, passing the god a piece of his bread.

“You can wear whatever makes you comfortable, Jiyong” Seungri said, ignoring the angry look Seunghyun was sending at him. “However, today I wanted to take you somewhere that require informality. I suggest you to wear a sweater or a coat; it’s a little cold outside.”

Jiyong nodded and climbed the stairs. He missed Seunghyun whispering to Seungri and earning another cushion on his face. Back in the room, the dresser appeared on his sight at the first try. He could totally grow accustomed to it. He chose a pair of comfy trousers, a t-shirt and a giant green hoodie that he liked a lot.

He discarded his pants and screamed when the trousers rose from the floor and auto-folded, flying to the place he took them previously. Same thing happened with the white shirt-that almost slaps him in the face, by the way-and his shoes. Afraid that his other clothes would go back to the drawers, he dressed in fast speed and left the dressing room almost running, just in case.

“There he comes again. Should I sing as if this is a runway?” Seunghyun asked when he finally came back to the living room. While Jiyong climbed down the stairs, the god started singing _Vogue_ by Madonna in a high pitched voice, much to everyone’s despair.

“It’s too early for this, stop it” Youngbae groaned, getting up from his place. Jiyong could see he had tattoos over his body, and wondered if the deities had a tattoo artist god or if they got their ink on the real world. However, his thoughts were cut when Seunghyun shoved a piece of paper on his face.

“What is this?” Jiyong asked, taking the small square.

“I knew you were a cuddler, too bad the pillows were in the middle.”

And there it was; a Polaroid picture of him hugging a pillow… _and_ _Seungri_. His hand was over the other’s waist, and their legs were tangled over the sheets. They were both sleeping peacefully, their foreheads almost touching. Jiyong blushed in a millisecond.

“WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THIS?!” he screamed, but Seunghyun was fast and snapped the photo out of his hands, raising his arm to where Jiyong couldn’t follow.

“Come on, you two look so cute!  We even made a scrapbook!”

“YOU DID WHAT?”

“Youngbae has it” Seunghyun said, and in fact, the Hound was flipping the pages of a pink fluffy book. Seungri was on his side, inspecting the photos as well, and Jiyong resumed his chasing and tried to take the book from his hands.

He should have known that fighting against those muscular arms was a lost cause.

“I should call Daesung, he needs to see this” Seunghyun said, hitting the floor with his thyrsus.

“THERE’S NOTHING TO SEE I SWEAR IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME THE BOOK I WILL KILL YOU!”

“You know that gods can’t die, don’t you?” Youngbae stated with sarcasm, and Jiyong directed his furious gaze to the god of the Underworld.

“Can’t you do something?!” he pleaded, and when Seungri was about to reply, the front door opened making a cracking sound.

“WHERE IS THAT SCRAPBOOK I MUST SEE IT!” Daesung screamed, running towards the group with a smiling face and his forever glimmering eyes. Youngbae threw the book at him, and the ferryman caught it with the precision of a basketball player.

“SEUNGRI DO SOMETHING!”

“But we look cute indeed” Seungri finally admitted, and Jiyong decided he would try and kick him on the face.

“I need a copy of this one” Daesung kept saying, “You captured the light just fine.”

“I’m the God of photography; of course I captured it well.”

“Seunghyun, you are not the God of photography” Youngbae retorted, “But I want a copy of the scrapbook in leather covers.”

“Come on, you can’t have so many pictures in there” Jiyong said, only to be sat down on the couch by Seunghyun, and everyone gathered around him to look at the album.

There were pictures of him alone and confused on the bay, right before he met Daesung. There were pictures of him talking to Seungri on the office, of him running through the Asphodel Fields, and a full page photograph of them shaking hands under the cloudy sky. Jiyong half expected the photographs to move like in Harry Potter, but they were just normal high quality pics.

“How did you get all of these?”

“The Underworld is full of cameras, how do you think we manage to keep it safe?”

Jiyong’s face contorted in pain, suddenly feeling he was being observed from every spot on the house.

“Seunghyun is lying” Seungri said, his voice dangerously close to Jiyong’s ear. The god was behind him, reclined over his shoulder. “He got those by magic, of course. We don’t need a security system over here.”

“Lord, _we_ are your security system” Daesung crossed his arms offended, and Youngbae imitated him. The sight could have been frightening if they both weren’t chewing the last remains of bread.

“But you are much more than that” Seungri said, “You are my friends.”

“Oh my Gods, he’s being corny again” Youngbae was frowning in disgust, and Seunghyun was making gag sounds.

“It’s because he is _in love_ ” Daesung sang the last part, reaching a high note that surprised Jiyong. But Daesung was wrong, because Seungri barely knew him, and love cannot be achieved in a day. Love can’t be achieved in a month, and that was all that Jiyong needed to endure to get out of the Underworld.

“Okay, just take that away from me” Jiyong said, pushing the scrapbook at the same time he got up from the sofa. “Where are we going then?”

“Oh look who’s excited to have his date” Seunghyun mocked, wriggling his eyebrows towards the human.

“Shut up, it’s not a date.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it’s not.”

“Seungri, tell your bride it _is_ a date” Seunghyun requested, taking Seungri by the sleeve of his sweater and moving his arm.

“It’s not a date” Seungri stated, and Seunghyun let his arm go with a childish glare. “We’re living together; going to our backyard can’t be counted as a date.”

Jiyong made a cocky grin that earned him a frown and a sticking out tongue from the god of wine. Every time Jiyong thought Seunghyun couldn’t be more immature the other went and outdid himself, and they just barely met twice. A few seconds later, he followed Seungri through the hall, passing a lot of doors that he probably will have to visit sooner or later-that is if Seungri doesn’t keep corpses or torture machines behind those frames.

_He doesn’t keep the corpses on the house. There are enough dead people floating around the front door already._

“Hold on” Seungri said, and Jiyong froze in place when the god gently put his hands over his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry; I just wanted to surprise you. Just keep walking.”

“You forgot the blindfold, right?”

“I knew you had a kink for blindfolding” Seungri chuckled, but Jiyong just hit him on the stomach with his elbow. “Hey, that hurts!”

“It was meant to” Jiyong stated proudly.

“Oh, a feisty one” Seungri mocked. They kept on walking for a while, until Jiyong distinguished clarity through Seungri’s long fingers. “Okay, you can see it now!” Seungri chirped, taking his hands away from his face, just to hold his shoulders. They were in a small porch with wooden floor and ornamented railings, very similar to the one in the entrance.

 A large field of dirt displayed in front of him.

“You…wanted me to see…the plain backyard?” Jiyong muttered, pointing at the empty land in front of them with his hand in a mocking gesture.

“YES!” It seemed like Seungri couldn’t understand his sarcasm, the happiness reverberating in his voice. “It’s all yours! Aren’t you excited?”

“No” Jiyong blurted, without even care to be polite, “It’s just an empty field, Seungri. There’s like, nothing here. At all.”

Seungri stopped grabbing his shoulders and his previous smile faded into a pout. Jiyong instantly regretted his previous harshness, but remained silent. Maybe if Seungri thought he was a horrible person he would stop trying to seduce him.

“I’m sorry” Seungri said almost in a whisper. “I thought you’ll like it. I guess it’s not that cool…”

“Seungri, it’s a piece of land. It doesn’t even have grass on it. Is this another Greek tradition I’m not informed about or what?”

“What? No, no!” Seungri denied rising his hands, and then started talking really fast, trying to explain. “It’s just I thought you would like to have your own piece of garden to grow flowers and plants and to spend the days if you got bored inside the house and maybe you could explore your powers here unlike giving you a full grown garden like I did on the front of the mansion and-“

“WAIT!” Jiyong snapped, successfully stopping Seungri’s blabbering, “Did you just say _explore your powers?”_

“Oh” Seungri looked dumbfounded, as if he had said something he shouldn’t. “Yes.”

“Please, elaborate.”

Seungri sighed and sat on the wooden railing, his feet slowly moving in the air. Jiyong copied him, taking the opposite rail and hanging all his weight over one of the pillars that held the roof. The god was looking at the ground, as if the words he needed to say would materialize on it. He had the habit of furrowing his brows when he was into deep thinking, Jiyong noted.

Not that he needed that information whatsoever.

“I didn’t want to tell you so early” Seungri finally said, “but when a human is chosen to be a god, it’s supposed that the human was born to fit in that space. That means you will have every power Persephone has when you accept your essence and marry me.”

Jiyong contemplated the landscape, trying to process the new information.

“So…you’re saying that if I marry you I will not only be immortal but have superpowers like…what did Persephone do?”

“Persephone was the goddess of the spring and the queen of the Underworld” Seungri recited.

“Tempting, but no thanks. I’m happy with my regular powerless mortal life.”

“I know. But if you, I mean, when you accept that you are the one chosen to occupy that place, you’ll get those powers, so I thought it could be convenient for you to have a place to let your flowers grow and experiment a little.”

Jiyong scanned the landscape. The field was really large and reminded him of their old farm, and it was limited by the Asphodel Fields, that continued their white and green colors to the end of the cloudy horizon. Without thinking twice, he jumped towards the backyard, and kneeled over the ground. Seungri was beside him in a second, watching him with curiosity. He touched the floor, and then gathered some dust to examine it better.

“It seems really fertile” He concluded, tearing the clods of soil apart. It was all Seungri needed to flash him a smile and stood up. His cane hit the floor and Jiyong literally jumped when the gardening materials appeared. He really needed to get used to magic if he wanted to survive the month without a heart attack. Jiyong walked towards the wheelbarrow, inspecting the rakes, shovel, spade and the small trowels. Seungri had included green gardener gloves, a hose and a metal watering can.

“You can work anytime you want, just let me know if you need anything. I will be reading over there.”

Jiyong followed Seungri’s finger and spotted a beautiful bench under the porch, as well as a matching table.

“Wait, so I can do anything I want with this garden?”

“Of course, it’s all yours.”

“Then I want a notebook and pencils” Jiyong stated, and Seungri raised his eyebrows, but another knock of his cane and Jiyong was holding a spiraled notebook and a pencil case. Seungri smiled and took his spot on the bench, leaving enough space for him to sit. However, he sat on the last step of the stair and observed the land.

Seungri lifted his head when Jiyong silhouette projected a shadow over him. Jiyong’s fingers were stained in different colors, as if he had painted something and gave it a smoky effect with his fingertips. The notebook was on his left hand, and a black pen poked out from behind his ear.

“I need a measuring tape” the human said, and Seungri flicked his fingers. The object appeared over the table, next to his cup of coffee, and Jiyong gasped unintentionally. “How did you do it without your cane?”

“The cane is just an instrument. It helps me to canalize my magic better, but I can materialize stuff if I think about it.”

“You should think about a fiancée that actually wants to marry you” Jiyong blurted out, and regretted it instantly when Seungri’s face became somber.

“I can materialize things, not people, Jiyong. And I have no power over people’s feelings, but I thought you already knew that.”

“I was joking” Jiyong said in small voice, almost hoping that the other couldn’t listen to him. Seungri laughed at it, and then returned his attention to the page he was reading. But Jiyong knew the laughter was forced, lacking his characteristic tone of childish happiness that the human was getting used to hear.

“Do you want something else?” Seungri asked without lifting his gaze. Jiyong realized he had been looking at the god for a while now, so he invented a quick excuse.

“I was wondering...mmm…the smell in my clothes!” Jiyong smiled at his own cleverness. “I wanted to know what flower essence they use on it.”

“Madonna lily” Seungri said without hesitance, which surprised Jiyong. “I really like that flower so I always ask Hayi to perfume my clothes with it.”

Jiyong smelled his hoodie once again. _Lilium candidum_. Of course he couldn’t distinguish it.

“Do you have cats on this house?” he asked, successfully attracting Seungri’s gaze over him.

“No. Why? Do you want one?”  Seungri took the cane that rested besides his seat, but Jiyong shook his head in negative.

“No, I just asked bec-Wait, can you _materialize_ cats too?”

“I can _summon_ cats” Seungri stated proudly. “Well, I can summon animals.”

Jiyong bit his bottom lip.

“If I marry you, will I be able to summon cats too?”

“For the love of the Gods” Seungri snorted, “Are you considering my proposal just to summon felines?”

“You’ve got to admit that’s a pretty cool power.”

“What happened with your _nah-I’m-fine-with-my-mortality_ speech?”

“Its cats what we’re talking about here!”

And there it was, the genuine chirping laughter emerging from Seungri. Jiyong smiled for a second just from hearing it, because that damn laughter was really contagious.

“Yes, you could summon cats if you become my spouse, Jiyong. Why did you ask about that?”

“I just wondered because Madonna lilies are really toxic for cats.”

“Seriously? I didn’t know it. Better call Hayi to change the perfume in our clothes.”

“Why? There are no cats around.”

“But if you like cats so much I know you will want to have a bunch in here after we get married, I can’t allow they die just because I like the smell of that flower.”

Jiyong felt his chest warming at the declaration. Seungri made it sound so natural, that his mind went straight back to Ai, imagining his cat wandering around the big mansion and sleeping in the living room rug. And then his mind pictured Kiko caressing Ai behind its ears, Ai cuddling up on Kiko’s lap while they watched a movie, and Jiyong frowned.

“It doesn’t matter because I will not live here. I can put some Madonna lilies next to the porch, so you can smell them in the moment you step out of the house.”

Seungri’s smile faded and the guilt pang on Jiyong’s chest once again. But he needed to think more about his real fiancée and his family and his cat and everything he left back instead of feeling sad for a Greek god that had enough power to summon cats whenever he wanted.

 Taking the long forgotten measuring tape, he went back to the field and noted the meters on his notebook. To his surprise; the tape seemed to be eternally long, stretching at his desire. He walked until the end of the plot, reaching the Asphodel Fields. There were some souls floating around, confused with the faint glimmer of the sun. The sky of the Underworld always looked cloudy, and Jiyong made a side note on his notebook to ask about the climatic conditions of the land before choosing the flowers for his garden.

He spent a lot of time making furrows with the hoe, trying to delimitate the spaces he wanted to have and taking measures twice to be sure his calculations were correct. After a while, he emptied the wheelbarrow and sat inside of it, working on his sketches for a small pond surrounded with pink roses inspired on the _rosa gallica_ he received from Youngbae.

He realized he had spent a long time working on his drawings when he had to put the notebook near his eyes due to the dimming light of the afternoon. He stood up and stretched, his legs cracking due to his prolonged sitting position, and stored the pencil case in the pocket of his hoodie.

Climbing up the stairs, he froze at the view in front of him.

Seungri’s head was bended over the bench, the book resting open on his lap and his legs stretched over the table. His mouth was barely opened, his breathing even and his face calm and soft. He looked cute like a small kid, almost too vulnerable and human.

Jiyong sat next to him, moving carefully and silently. He felt tired too, and didn’t know when the day had passed, submerged on his new project. But he had always been a workaholic, even more when it was about gardening. He felt relaxed, as if working had brought him to his senses. Maybe it was because back on the house he was preoccupied with the engagement, but now he felt he hadn’t anything to worry about. He knew it was just an illusion, but he couldn’t feel stressed at the moment. He had a new assignment and he was proposed to use his time on the Underworld gardening Seungri’s backyard.

Maybe, if the garden turned out really pretty, he wouldn’t feel the guilt of being unable to stay and marry the god. Maybe Seungri could find another bride and then they would walk through the pretty paths he planned, holding hands and smelling the Madonna lilies in their cat-free mansion.

Maybe he could make something beautiful for Seungri as an apology for his negative.

Jiyong watched him, still sleeping peacefully, his face illuminated by the last lights of the day. And Jiyong felt bad, too bad for feeling happy at the fact another day had passed.

“Thank you for my garden, Seungri” he whispered, holding the black notebook near his chest as if he feared the pages would disappear into the cold afternoon breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!!! I'm so sorry I couldn't update before, college consumed me this semester :c Hope you like this chapter!!!   
> Thanks for reading and leaving kudos ♥ Comment and let me know what you think about the story, I will try to reply as soon as I can!!


	6. Act Five: Tea Party

It’s incredible the amount of time humans spent on drinking and eating, Jiyong realized. A lot of time that could be entirely used for other meaningful purposes, like transforming a dull land into the most beautiful garden any god had seen.

Well, not the most beautiful, but it was going to be gorgeous, Jiyong knew it. And he wouldn’t even see most of the flowers in bloom, because he was still planting the seeds and a month is not a long time for some plants to grow.

But Seungri would like it, right?

Jiyong had spent the last four days in a constant working routine. He would be the first to get up, get dressed in comfy clothes-he was taking the hand of the magic wardrobe actually-and go straight to the backyard, working on his beloved planning notebook and digging furrows, checking the seeds and organizing them, watering the land and making small signs with drawings of the flowers that belonged to each flowerbed. He only stopped at afternoon, took a bath and go into the bed before Seungri even got into the room. Jiyong was good at gardening, but he was even better with avoidance.

While he worked, Seungri used to sit on the porch, usually reading a book or a manhwa, sometimes writing things on a large book with leather covers, among a lot of folders and a weird looking calculator. His friends didn’t appear or at least Jiyong didn’t notice them-even though he was sure he would notice Daesung’s high-pitched screams or Seunghyun’s constant bickering with Seungri.

The god wouldn’t talk a lot with him, only counted times where he asked the human if he needed anything for his project. Jiyong appreciated the silence, most of all because one day he got asleep inside the wheelbarrow and got up on the bed, dressed with his pajamas and his hair damp as if he just took a shower. He hoped Seungri just used magic to get him clean, but the only thing he could recall was the feeling of his strong arms holding him close, carrying him upstairs.

But the fifth day on the Underworld was different. He woke up to an empty bed and cold sheets, signaling Seungri was long gone. He expected to find the god having breakfast on the porch, but the only thing that welcomed him were his gardening tools and the lonely backyard.

Not that he minded the solitude.

He was watering a parcel of land destined to the _narcissus poeticus_ he was planning to plant around the pond when a melodic sound pierced the silence. He dropped the hose in surprise, almost getting his shoes wet in the process, but he was quick to clap twice and the water stopped, as Seungri had explained the first time he used the tool. The sound kept floating in the air. He was now sure that it came from the house, and if he was not mistaken, someone was playing the piano.

Barely realizing it, he slowly walked towards the house. The melody was unknown for him-not that he knew that much about classical music-but it was deep and intense; dragging him inside, calming the constant stress he was under for the last week. Well, if he had to be fair, he was stressed way before getting into the Underworld, but no one had to know that.

The music room’s door was half open. The sound was loud and it reverberated in Jiyong’s chest and feet with every step he made. Of course he knew Seungri was the one playing. Even being so tired on his first day, he still remembered each room the God showed him. He remembered Seungri saying he only could play the piano, his eyes bright at the mention of the instrument.

And there he was, dressed casually in a black sweater and ripped jeans-it seemed to be his favorite kind of outfit-his hands fast over the keys. His head was bumping at the rhythm, his white fringes falling over his closed eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Jiyong stood on the door, enchanted by the image and the song. 

The last notes resonated in the room and then Seungri turned to him, slowly opening his eyes as if he just woke up from a dream. A cocky grin illuminated his face, like he was waiting Jiyong to be on the exact spot he was.

_Such a fucking tease._

“You can come in, you know” the god informed, resting his hands over the keys without pressing them.

“What for?” Jiyong tried to sound rebellious, but it came out childish and insecure.

“Don’t you wanna play?”

The human frowned, catching the mischievous undertone in Seungri’s words. The lord of the Underworld was wriggling his eyebrows suggestively, and Jiyong realized Seungri wasn’t this bold since the day they met. In a certain way, it relieved him. He was still waiting for Seungri to show his true self, because in his mind, if the god turned to be as he expected, it would be even easier to reject him and go back into Kiko’s arms.

However, he sat next to Seungri, pushing him intently. The strong scent of madonna lily obliterated whatever he was going to say, making him suddenly self conscious. He hoped not to smell so bad after so much gardening.

_Wait, it would be better. It would make me less desirable.  I could stop showering and…No. I can’t stop showering. Too many germs. Iugh._

“So, where do we start? I’ve never explained anyone how to play piano.”

“There’s no need, I can play piano.”

“Seriously? But you never-“

“-said anything? I don’t play since I was a kid anyway, so…I wanna play the song you were just playing, bring the score” Jiyong commanded. But when he turned his head, Seungri still seemed dumbfounded by this new piece of information. Jiyong cocked an eyebrow and the god blinked twice, his eyes refocusing over the piano keys.

_Is he blushing?_

Jiyong suppressed a laugh. Why would Seungri be blushing just because he said he can play piano? That’s was just plain stupid. Maybe it was a light trick-maybe magic, to make him believe Seungri was awestruck by him.

_Bullshit._

“Did you say something?” Seungri asked, looking at him with curiosity. He probably muttered the last part. He denied with his head, realizing that there was a sheet of paper in front of them.

“Is this the right song? It’s a duet.”

Seungri put a hand over his chest, feigning hurt. And then he pouts, he actually pouts like a child, and Jiyong forgets for a second he’s in presence of a powerful god when the other starts rambling in a high pitched voice laced with outrage.

“Don’t you want to play piano with me? This is so unfair Mr. Kwon! I arrange the song you want for it to be a duet and you ditch me to play alone? It’s because my fingers are chubby, really? Your fingers are long and slim and delicate and that’s why you won’t-”

“STOP IT!” Jiyong snaps, successfully shutting him up.”I just asked because I want to play that same song. Now shut up and let’s start.”

“You’re really lucky I like your bossy side, or you would be already floating on the Acheron.”

“Are you threatening me or that’s just the way you flirt?”

Seungri clicked his tongue and then he played the first note, still looking at him with a glint in his eyes that can only be defined as challenge. And Jiyong loved challenges and proving people wrong and showing his skills so he smirked and turned to the paper, quickly playing along.

The song was slow but intense, and he’s entranced again by its beauty, his fingers not missing a note. He wanted to play it right, to make it justice, and he found himself grinning marveled at how well they’re playing. But his smile disappeared when he realized that they were already on the last page, and Seungri didn’t miss the pout on his face after he hit the last note.

“Another?” he asked.

Something in the back of Jiyong’s mind was whispering that they were way too close, that the situation was against all his plans of avoidance, but the part in him that felt lonely and bored wanted to stay next to Seungri, to play piano with him, maybe to talk about something silly and let another day of his countdown to pass away.

“Another” he finally said, and Seungri smiled so widely Jiyong was sure his face would break.

After a few songs Jiyong wasn’t familiarized with, Seungri stretched his arms over his head, his chest molding his sweater with muscles. The human looked away quickly; feeling a little perverted just because he noticed the other was well-built. Clearing his throat, he manages to talk while looking straight at the piano and nothing else.

“Are you tired?”

“A little. It’s just is tea time and I’m kind of hungry, but we can continue if you want to.”

“Nah. Let’s eat.”

Seungri’s neck almost cracked at his sentence, his eyes growing wide in surprise. And Jiyong remembered that he couldn’t eat in the Underworld, because that would mean he was attached to the land. Growing red at what he just accidentally implied, he started stuttering.

“I-I meant- let’s eat as in _-you_ eating, not _me_ eating, me watching you eat, oh that sounded like something an stalker would say-I mean I can keep you company while you eat?” Jiyong was helplessly blushing; embarrassed of his own incapacity to form a coherent sentence, but Seungri smiled at him.

“It would be lovely to have your company, Jiyong” he said slowly and tenderly, “but I’m afraid it would be too tempting for you to be around food.”

“That’s why you always make your meals disappear when I walk into the porch?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t feel hunger. I will be fine, really. If not I will just go.”

“Are you sure?” Seungri asked, but Jiyong got up from the piano bench and gestured towards the door. All the way from the music room to the porch, Jiyong’s head was fuming. He already knew that Seungri didn’t like him near food-Youngbae told him on his first day. But hearing it directly from the god, hearing the tint of real concern on his voice completely unsettled him.

It was hard to keep convincing himself that Seungri didn’t care about him when the other behaved like that.

“Who prepares your meals?” Jiyong asked when they reached the tiny table. He spotted a plate full of waffles and honey, and a beautiful set of tea kettle and cup made of white porcelain and small golden drawings of flowers and leaves.

“I use magic, mostly, but I usually cook” Seungri touched the kettle with his cane and steam started to float in a few seconds.

“I never saw you cooking” Jiyong declared, his curiosity perking when Seungri materialized a small black jar with the same drawings as the tea set.

“It’s because I haven’t cook since you arrived” Seungri explained. “I rather watch you work on the garden instead of losing time in the kitchen.”

Jiyong barely listened to Seungri’s words in the minute the little box opened and his nostrils were momentarily filled with a strong smell that pushed him back in time. Seungri probably noticed his change of demeanor, because he snapped his fingers in front of his face to earn his attention.

“Is everything okay?”

“Is that…citron?”

“Oh, yes!” Seungri beamed, taking a spoon and filling his cup with the concoction and pouring water over it. Jiyong immediately felt the waft of fresh citron and had to turn his head away from the tea, afraid of asking for a cup for him. “Do you like tea?”

“No” Jiyong lied.

“Oh, so you’re more of a coffee person, right?”

Jiyong nodded along, because he couldn’t possibly explain Seungri why he couldn’t drink tea since years ago. It was stupid, and Seungri didn’t deserve to know when even Kiko was oblivious about it. Maybe he should have told her sooner, but he had been trying to systematically bury his past and become some new version of himself that he couldn’t gather strength to do so.

“Jiyong? Is everything okay? If you want to I can eat alone…”

“Sorry, I was just…I can’t remember the scientific name of citron.”

_Liar._

“Oh, you should search for it on the library” Seungri suggested, taking a sip of his beverage. He made a face as the water burned his tongue, provoking a small smile in the human. Jiyong took out his notebook and started flipping pages, just to have something else to look at. “If you want to, we can add some books to the collection, so you’ll have more researching material.”

“Ah, I see. You’re afraid I mess up with your garden” Jiyong joked, folding the corner of a page.

“No, I trust in your gardening abilities, you’re the personification of Persephone. We can just expand the library when we get married.”

Jiyong glared at Seungri over his notebook, but the god seemed unaffected by it, sipping his tea calmly.

“How are you so sure about it? How do you know if I’m going to say yes? You’re a man, I’m a man. I’m engaged to a woman. I’m straight. Didn’t occur to you that tiny little fact would be a problem?”

Seungri started coughing violently, scaring Jiyong. His cheeks turned crimson and when he finally calmed down, the human was already scowling at him.

“What’s so funny?”

“That you think you can fool me pretending to be straight.”

“What, is this your new superpower? Guess my preferences?”

“Not my superpower, at least” Seungri said, picking a waffle. “I asked Jinwoo. Aphrodite, remember? I know you’re bisexual.”

Jiyong gaped and Seungri took the moment to pick a giant bite of his food. Munching on the waffle, he raised an eyebrow, daring the other to say something.

“I can’t believe Aphrodite just got me out of the closet.”

“Sorry about that. I couldn’t contain myself and had to ask. I mean, you’re supposed to be my spouse, I needed to know.”

“You should have asked me first.”

“Before or after forcing you into the Underworld?”

“At least you realize it’s forced.”

“I’m not proud of it by any means, but I needed to make a choice and this was the best one.”

It was a staring contest, and none of them wanted to lose. Jiyong blinked one, twice, but Seungri didn’t seem to get tired to look at him, which of course made him uncomfortable.

“And then, what about you?” Jiyong dared, cocking an eyebrow to copy the god.

“What about me?”

“Are you gay?”

That seemed to suffice to break Seungri’s concentration. He looked down, taking his cup and sipping tea, but Jiyong caught the faint blush on his cheeks on time.

“I don’t know, really, but it doesn’t care.”

“I care to know, thank you very much. What did you say? Oh, yeah, _I mean, you’re supposed to be my spouse, I need to know_ ” In a poor attempt to mock Seungri, Jiyong tried to imitate his weird accent.

_Wait. Isn’t that dialect from Gwangju?_

“Maybe I’m gay or bi, I don’t know. And I don’t need to, because you’re the only one for me.”

It was Jiyong’s turn to snort and burst into a hysterical laugher. Seungri pouted at him, taking his abandoned waffle to munch it angrily as a scolded child.

“You need to improve your flirting abilities, you know. That’s not going to work on me.”

“Then tell me what do you like and I will do it just for you.”

“I like my freedom.”

“We have a contract, Jiyong.”

“A contract you forced me into.”

“How many times you want me to apologize? Because I can tell you I’m sorry for the rest of the eternity, if that’s what you need.” Seungri’s tone wasn’t challenging. It was calm, just stating a fact without mocking him. Jiyong was taken aback with the sincerity on it, and decided to focus on his sketchbook again.

“Are you from Gwangju?” he tried after an awkward silence. Seungri opened his eyes in surprise, and cleaned the crumbs of waffle on his cheek with a napkin, apparently thinking his answer.

“Actually, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I can’t remember anything from my life as a human” Seungri said, removing uncomfortably on his chair. “I just woke up on this house and Youngbae and Seunghyun told me everything.”

“Wait. Does that means that you forget your past if you become a god? Do you want me to forget my past too?” Jiyong knew his face was red from anger, but Seungri’s calm stare didn’t falter.

“They make you choose if you want to forget your previous life or keep your memories. I know for a fact that Seunghyun still visits his mother and sister, but they don’t know he’s Dionysus. They think he’s a very busy businessman.”

“And you decided to forget.”

“I was mad at myself for it and very confused at the beginning” Seungri explained, playing with the tea spoon. “I still wonder if my life was sad or difficult enough to make that kind of decision, but with the years I’ve grown accustomed to the mystery of it.”

“If I say yes...” Jiyong started, and a glimmer of hope radiated from Seungri’s brown orbs, “and I’m just hypothetically talking because that will never happen, but will I be able to go back to the human world?”

“Well, you’re Persephone” Seungri started, beaming with the turn of the conversation, “You’re bound to visit the human world for six months, like the original goddess did. It doesn’t have to be on spring and summer though, the global warming left that part of the deal out a long time ago.”

“Would I be able to tell my sister I’m a god, or that’s banned? Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

“It’s not a rule we keep our identities hidden, it’s more of a… an advice. It’s a lot to take for a human, but if you decide to tell your sister and you are careful about it, there’s no harm on it.”

“You mean being careful as in…” Jiyong moved his hand, gesturing Seungri to explain.

“Humans are fragile creatures. Things, gods involved or not, can always go wrong. Sometimes we have no choice but to erase their memories.”

“There’s no risk on telling Dami about it. She’s got a soft spot for weird things, she would love it.”

“Do you think she would like me?” Seungri asked with excitement in his voice.

“Yeah, she has a thing for handsome boys, she would totally love you.” Seungri’s eyebrows shot up at his words, and Jiyong realized he indirectly addressed Seungri as a handsome boy.  “I mean, all of this is hypothetical. It’s not like you would meet her.”

“But hypothetically speaking you think I’m a very handsome boy” Seungri’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“I’ve never said very” Jiyong frowned, but Seungri was still smiling in triumph. “What about you? Can you go into the human world whenever you want or…?”

Seungri’s smile died as quick as it came. Maybe he touched a sensitive topic, or maybe Hades didn’t like living people, being the god of the Underworld.

“The human world is common field for almost every deity. But I don’t go there if I can avoid it.” Jiyong raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Let’s just say Zeus isn’t very…fond of me and I don’t like to tempt him to send a storm over here.”

“Did you upset him?”

“He doesn’t like me since I’ve arrived here. Youngbae says it’s because he liked the previous Hades and Persephone and that I shouldn’t care about it, that he will like me sooner or later. But I think Youngbae is just too positive.”

“You always talk fondly of him.”

“He’s a good person. He’s my best friend” Seungri said, the warm evident on his eyes, “Seunghyun and Daesung too. They helped me through a lot of things when I arrived, and they still do. They are everything to me.”

“They really care about you, I can tell that. And they must hate me” Jiyong reasoned, “because I’m not agreeing to become your spouse.”

“They don’t” Seungri stated. “They know you are everything to me too.”

“Please, upgrade your flirting abilities. Corny lines are not going to work on me.”

“At least I made you blush in second-hand embarrassment” Seungri said proudly.

“I’m not blushing” Jiyong scowled, even when he could feel the warm on his cheeks. The god stared at him for a while, and then got up from his chair.

“Let’s go to the library. We need to find that name.”

“What?” Jiyong said, rejecting Seungri’s hand and getting up as well.

“Citron’s scientific name. You said you couldn’t remember it, and I know very well you wouldn’t sleep tonight if you can’t find it.”

He had forgotten his lie about the tea, but Seungri was right about him. He couldn’t let it go if it was about plants names, so he needed to follow the lie for a while.

 “How do you know? I’ve only been here for five days. Are you reading my mind?”

“I promised I won’t” Seungri was already at the end of the stairs and turned to look at him, “I don’t need a lot of time in your company to know you’re a plants enthusiast.”

“Just say it: I’m a plants nerd. It’s not a big deal, don’t worry.”

Seungri opened the door for him-he was still reticent about the doors on the mansion after the incident with the dressing room-and the smell of old books filled his nostrils. The god leaded him to a corner, and pointed at a group of shelves.

“Those are the books you’re looking. Unfortunately, as my knowledge is not too vast, they aren’t in order. You can order them if you want, they are yours after all.”

Jiyong wasn’t even listening. He had taken one of the books, the green of the cover fading into gray over the years of usage. It was a copy of his first Plants Atlas, the one his mother gave to him right after he learnt to read. Automatically and without consulting the index, he flipped the pages.

“Oh, you already found it” Seungri said in awe, getting close to read the book with him. “ _Citrus medica. Common names: citron, citron melon, preserving melon. Citron is a slow-growing shrub or small tree reaching up to 4.5 meters in height with stiff branches and twigs and spines in the leaf axils.”_

Jiyong caressed the drawing of the tree with his fingertips. The orange of the fruit was still intact, as if only the cover of the book suffered from the passing of time. Then he noticed the silence in the room, and their shoulders touching, and he turned to see Seungri really close, more close than ever. He stopped breathing for a second.

_Fuck, is he going to kiss me?_

On this distance, he could inspect further on the warm glint in those brown orbs. Seungri was looking into his eyes, which made him feel awkward and overly self conscious. He started wondering if he had bad breath, or if his face was clean from dirt. Did he smell as good as Seungri did? Damn, the god’s skin looked so soft and pale, a striking contrast with his dark long eyelashes. His lips were curling into that mysterious cat-like smile of him, and his eyes trailed over Jiyong’s lips. _I should run away._  But he didn’t want to move, he wanted to see how far Seungri would go. Or maybe it was just an excuse because he couldn’t move at all.

_CLACK!_

Jiyong jumped on his spot, scared over the loud noise piercing the silence. Seungri’s hand had closed the book in one smooth motion, and the god was already a few steps away from him.

“Well, that solves the mystery. I will go to fill some papers in my office, call me if you need something. You’ll join me for dinner tonight, right? If you want to you’re always invited, you know.”

Jiyong was still processing the situation but it was difficult when the god was walking backwards towards the door, scratching his head and rambling.

“Seungri” he called when the other was about to leave. “Why you didn’t do it?”

Seungri tripped over his foot and grabbed the door’s frame just on time, surprised over the sudden question.

“Didn’t do what?”

“Why you didn’t kiss me?”

Jiyong was positive Seungri was going to combust, if the red on his cheeks was any indication. But flustering the god was giving him a weird sense of satisfaction, and it wasn’t like he could take his words back.

Seungri looked at the floor, still holding the frame for support.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want to do, Jiyong. When we kiss, it’s going to be because you want it.” The words were barely a whisper, but the human could hear them perfectly. Seungri finally glanced at his direction, a tiny smile appearing on his face. “Besides, I want our first kiss to be more romantic than that.”

And then he ran away, leaving Jiyong alone in the middle of the library, still wondering about what had happened.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI!!! So sorry for the delay. College is a bitch and my inspiration too, but I hope this chapter had enough nyongtory moments to compensate the delay. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos, bookmark or subscribe and for the lovely comments!!! They make me really happy ♥
> 
> Also, next chapter will be a special chapter and I won't be able to post in two weeks because I won't have access to my computer. Anyway, the good new is that I've already planned the next chapters and I will update more regularly (I hope every week, but I can't promise it)
> 
> Again, thanks for reading ♥


	7. Entreact: Laurus Nobilis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! 
> 
> I'm really sorry about this epic delay. Life got in the way, and I couldn't find inspiration even when I know where this story is headed. 
> 
> This is a short chapter about the past, hope you like it despite the lack of nyongtory, but the next one will be about them so, be patient. I will try to finish it soon because it's reaching the part I wanted to write in the first place, but I can't promise anything more than this: I won't drop this fanfic.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!!

 

Seunghyun peeped through the door ajar. The only light in the room came from a small lamp near the bed, illuminating the pale face of the new boy and the characteristic look of determination his Hound always had.

“Is he okay?” Daesung asked, his calm voice breaking the silence of the mansion. Seunghyun nodded almost sympathetically, and Daesung got on his tiptoes to watch inside the bedroom.

“Did they scold you a lot?”

“Not really. When you left, wise Hayi intervened and explained it wasn’t my fault because I was following my Lord orders as I’m supposed to.”

“I’ve got to thank that child. She’s saved our butts to be roasted by thunderbolts way many times. I think she has a soft spot for me.”

“Yeah, she’s got a soft spot for idiots” Daesung mocked, “It must be Athena’s teacher side showing.”

Seunghyun turned his face away from the room and gave Daesung the middle finger. The other smirked, but his expression quickly turned into a grim one.

“They gave you a chore” Daesung started, and Seunghyun wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You’ve got to find out who is the new Persephone.”

“They could have sent Hermes for that!” Seunghyun scream-whispered, but apparently Youngbae’s dog senses caught it, because the Hound glared at the door. Seunghyun flinched at his piercing gaze, and signaled Daesung to move out.

“Oh please, don’t smoke” Daesung said when they reached the backyard. The sky over them was full of dark clouds, so different of his typical light grey gleam. Seunghyun noticed that there was wind when he tried to light his cigarette, but the Underworld never had wind. Not that strong at least.

“I’m a god, I can’t die and I’m stressed. What’s the problem?”

“The smell” Daesung scolded, but Seunghyun was already blowing a smoke ring. The ferryman rolled his eyes and put his hands over the railing of the porch. The flowerpots surrounding the house were breaking under the force of the wind, petals and leaves floating around the patio.

“So, what is the mighty Messenger of the Gods doing that is more important that finding out the identity of the new goddess?”

“He told Seungyoon to fix the Olympus internet.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Seunghyun almost dropped his cigarette in fury. “He’s doing this on purpose, right? He wants to punish me for helping the boy!”

“Of course it’s on purpose, Seunghyun. He’ll probably give us useless works until the next century. However, it would be better to find Apollo before the boy wakes up.”

“Shit.” The god sighed, creating a small cloud of smoke. “Can _you_ go instead?”

“Why would I…wait, WHAT DID YOU DO?!”Daesung snapped, and Seunghyun had the decency to look embarrassed.

“Maybe I was drunk with vodka and maybe I took one of Chanhyuk’s precious guitars and maybe I pretended to be a rock star and I hit it on the floor after playing Creep.”

Daesung blinked once, twice, and then started laughing, his body doubling over the railing. Seunghyun threw his cigarette and stepped on it, pouting as a little child by the mockery. After a minute, the ferryman found his composure again. 

“Dude, you’re so screwed.”

“I know, I know.”

Back in the mortal world, snow covered the streets. However, the cold didn’t stop humans from their obligations, and Seunghyun grunted when a passerby pushed his body accidentally, running towards the subway’s entrance. It was almost midday, and the streets were full of people gathering around restaurants and overflowing from the station, the smell of food floating in the air. He was tempted to join a table of tourists eating chicken, but he was a god on a mission so it was out of the question.

Nobody was looking at him, so he pulled a long black scarf out of his overcoat’s pocket, along with a grey beanie to protect his ears from the biting cold. Of course, it would be so much easy to materialize in the exact place, but he was banned from teleporting in the mediations of Chanhyuk’s territory. Damn the vodka and his epic guitar solo. At least he could materialize in Uijeongbu, or he would have to take a subway or whatever can-shaped transportation the humans used to get there.

He quickly found the brown signs that guided towards Hoeryong Temple, and patiently walked the streets, passing old _hanoks_ and reaching the mountain trails. He sighed at the prospect of hiking, but the walk was quicker than he expected. The temple zone was almost empty, a few walkers wandering around and taking pictures. Humans could marvel with the peaceful view and the small temple, but if the correct ears listened intently, a faint melody of a guitar traveled through the breeze. Seunghyun followed the sound, his senses alert just in case the god of the sun decided to kick his neck from behind or anything equally violent.

Luckily for him, Chanhyuk was playing an acoustic guitar, climbed on a laurel tree disguised in the small forest that surrounded the temple. The boy looked small, wearing khaki pants and a striped white and blue t-shirt, oblivious of the cold. The big round glasses he wore framed his face making him look even younger than he was-or he had been when he became a god.

Once Seunghyun asked him why he wore glasses, if he was a god and could see perfectly, but Chanhyuk simply said “aesthetic”. Seunghyun suspected the real reason was to grasp a little of the humanity he had left behind, but he never commented on it. Some things are best unsaid.

“So…hello?” Seunghyun tried, but Chanhyuk kept on playing the strings without even looking at him. Opting for the diplomatic way, he cleared his throat and started again, “I’ve been sent by the Council of Gods to find the-“

“Oh, please” Chanhyuk interrupted. “I’m the God of Prophecy; I know _why_ you’re here.”

Seunghyun squinted at him, not fully convinced of the statement. He could be the god of Prophecy but the matters of the Council were off limits to anyone without invitation, and the golden siblings weren’t present at the reunion.

“Okay, I lied. Hayi texted me to say you were coming and instructed me to be _civil_ , whatever that means.”

Seunghyun rolled his eyes, making a mental note to thank the goddess later. Chanhyuk jumped from the tree and when he hit the ground, the guitar on his hands disappeared, replaced by a cellphone. The god started typing something and Seunghyun sent him a glare, right in the moment the other took a pic of him.

“What are you doing?”

“Suhyun didn’t believe you were here so soon. I’m sending this to the chat group.”

“YOU HAVE A CHAT GROUP AND I’M NOT INCLUDED?”

“Nah, you’re too old for it.” Chanhyuk replied nonchalantly. Seunghyun gasped in horror.

“I’M NOT THAT OLD!”

“Okay” Chanhyuk sighed, “Do you have a cellphone?”

“…No?”

“See, you’re too old” Chanhyuk smiled, and started walking towards a small construction next the frozen river. “Come with me, the Oracle is inside.”

To the normal eye, the area was unimpressive, just an unfinished little construction, presumably living quarters for the monks in the temple. To Seunghyun’s eyes, the construction was finished. It was even prettier than the temple, with red wooden walls decorated with scroll paintings and cravings; in perfect contrast with the white snow on the roof. Climbing the marble stairs, a strong heavy bass of a hip hop song could be heard. Seunghyun turned to the young god, raising an eyebrow, but the other just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“We have a visit!” Chanhyuk screamed when he opened the door, and the song stopped suddenly. Seunghyun saw the Oracle through the mirror, her blonde long hair shining under the lights of the dance studio. She was panting heavily, tired from the powerful choreography she was practicing before, and her eyes gleamed in happiness when they connected their eyes in the reflection.

“Seunghyun oppa!” The girl squealed, turning and running towards him. She almost hugged him, but Chanhyuk sent her a glare and she bowed instead. He bowed too, displaying a warm smile. “What are you doing here? I know you don’t visit us much after the vodka incident, but please remember I’m confined to boredom with this child in this damn mountain.”

“I’m older than you by any means!” Chanhyuk protested, but Seunghyun spoke over him.

“We can go to a noraebang whenever you like, just mark the day and I will gather the children.”

Once again, Chanhyuk’s complains were unheard over the excited scream of the Oracle, who took Seunghyun’s hands and they started spinning in circles; cheering over the idea. In the end, Chanhyuk whistled, startling the pair.

“Seunghyun is on a mission, and he needs your gift, Lalisa.”

“It’s about the new Hades” Seunghyun informed when she arched her brows in curiosity. Her smile faltered a bit, but she recovered quickly. She left his hands go and signaled towards the stairs with her head.

“I had a dream about it, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.” Her blonde hair moved along her steps, and Seunghyun noticed it was a tone lighter than usual. Somehow, he missed her brown locks, the hair she had at the beginning.

Chanhyuk once confessed him that he found her on Bangkok, locked up on a mental institution. Having the essence of the Oracle, she could see things even when she was a human, and that lead her family to believe she was crazy. When Apollo saved her, she chose to forget everything except her name.

She signaled them to sit on the sofa of the small room. There was a small projector near a yellow armchair, and she seated there, crossing her legs. The projector light up as soon as she touched it and the other lights in the room dimmed until everything was covered in the bluish glimmer of the wall used as screen.

“Lalisa” Seunghyun called softly. “I need you to find anything about the next Persephone.”

“I know” she said, and the wall changed slowly, as if it was a pond made of colored water, or a screen protector. But Seunghyun knew it was Lalisa’s power, showing them the flow of visions inside her mind.

A face materialized on the wall. Brown hair picked up in a small ponytail, with slim body and long fingers that were drawing carefully, decorated with a small tattoo of a smiling face on his left hand.

“IT’S A BOY!” Seunghyun squealed, stating the obvious. “I don’t know if the new Hades would want him. What if the boy doesn’t want to be with Hades? Can’t you search for another?”

“I won’t.” Lalisa stated, her otherwise cute voice turning dangerous. “It doesn’t matter. Persephone’s essence is on him, and Fate can’t be mocked for something as trivial as gender.”

“Well, he looks skinny for a boy” Seunghyun reasoned, “He would work just fine. What can you tell me about him?”

“His name is Kwon Jiyong. Since he was a kid, he loved everything about flowers, and he’s studying Organic and Urban Farming in Seoul” She recited, taking a small memory card and inserting it on the projector. “His address and information is on the card, so it will be easy to find him.”

Seunghyun stood up; taking the small card the Oracle was giving him. He was about to bow and left the room when Lalisa held his wrist when he tried to move away. Her big brown eyes were full of concern, and he smiled at her, trying to soothe her worries. Sometimes, she seemed even younger, innocent as a little child that doesn’t know anything about the world, but he knew better. Even with her memories wiped, she must have seen many horrible things. Her Sight was a gift and a curse on equal measures, and Seunghyun cherished her ability to remain happy and carefree despite of it.

“Don’t worry; I will plan that party after my mission” he assured, thinking she was pleading him for a promise.

“It’s not about it” she said, releasing his wrist. “Tell him it won’t be easy. His previous choices made his path rough, even more than it already was; but Fate is kind with the hardworking and determined hearts.”

The confusion cleared from Seunghyun’s face, and he nodded at the advice, knowing what she was talking about. He bowed and thanked her for the help, getting out of the room and the temple. Only when he reached the marble stairs in the entrance he realized Chanhyuk was following him. He turned and smiled at the boy, hoping he wasn’t planning on turning him into a tree.

“I hope that party will be soon” Chanhyuk said, taking his glasses and wiping them with his t-shirt.

“Who said you were invited?” Seunghyun teased, earning a frown from Apollo. “Okay, you’re invited. But only if you let me materialize here.”

“Only at the foot of the mountain and that’s because you made Lalisa that promise. Sometimes I worry she would die of boredom here, even when I know she can’t.”

“Just say it’s because you’re afraid she will leave, like the others” Seunghyun grinned when Chanhyuk looked at his feet. “She’s the best Oracle I’ve met since I’m Dionysus; but you don’t have to worry. She’s too good to abandon the temple.”

“I hope you’re right. It was really hard to find her.”

“I’m always right, even when I’m wrong” Seunghyun said, making Chanhyuk roll his eyes. “Anyway, I have a trip to the Underworld.”

“Is he okay?” the boy asked when he turned to leave.

“Yes, sleeping for now. But he will have a lot to process when he wakes up, and I’m the one that will have to explain.”

“Don’t worry. If what I’ve heard is correct, he’s got what is needed to be a great deity.”

“Don’t say that aloud or your father will kick your ass.”

“He’s not my father, you know. But be careful, because the words of the Oracle are always right.”

“I know.”

The sun was gleaming strongly when he descended the mountain, making the snow road shine under his shoes. He suddenly desired to pay a visit to his mother and sister, but that could wait. He needed to end with his duties first, if he didn’t want a thunderbolt to approach him in the middle of a clear day.

Reaching the end of the mountain, he hid behind a tree to disappear without risking any passerby to die in an unfortunate look at his energy. He closed his eyes with a small sigh leaving his lips, and squeezed the memory card on his pocket to know it was still there.

 _Kwon Jiyong, please don’t be too difficult,_ he prayed, but something inside his chest told him his request was useless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really thankful for all your comments, subscriptions and kudos, they give me strength to keep on writing even when I'm so slow.
> 
> I used to answer comments when I posted a new chapter, but my terrible time management skills makes me believe it will be better to answer in the moment you actually left them, so if you wanna complain, scream or punch a bit of inspiration in my brain, I will be glad to read and reply to anything you have to say.
> 
> Thank you for all the support, it means a lot to me ♥


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